Visa Liberalization

TIRANA, July 29 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha said again Wednesday that his government aimed at achieving for the country a visa-free regime within a year, now that they are in power again.
“Our goal is visa liberalization in the first year of our second mandate,” said Berisha at a cabinet meeting.
The premier said that the European Commission would send again teams to check whether the country has fulfilled the required road map and his government would make the utmost to achieve them.
Albania was not included with Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia for which the EC decided to have a visa-free regime starting Jan. 1, 2010. It said that Albania and Bosnia, Kosovo was not mentioned at all, will be discussed again in mid-year in 2010.
Albania has to work more on border management and especially distribute, issue as many as possible of the new biometric passports.
“We should be realistic that such a process asks for great job and deep reforms, which we are doing,” said Berisha. “We should be prepared that this is a strong race and in this race we should strive hard to reach the EU member countries.”