In an exclusive interview for Europa magazine, Romana Vlahutin, the new Head of the EU Delegation to Albania, talks about the priorities of her work in this country.
What made you interested to take the job of the primary intermediator between Albania and the EU?
For me, this is one of the most interesting and inspiring jobs I could wish for. It combines everything that I have spent more than 25 years of my professional life working on: transition of captured societies into a free and fully functioning one, regional reconciliation and cooperation, foreign policy and finally, EU reform process. It is once-in-a-life-time opportunity to help a country mobilise its potentials to the fullest, to realise deficiencies and create new capacities for a state and society that will be an integral part of Europe in every sense.
We know that for us, for Albania the EU is very important. But, what would you say is the importance of Albania to the EU?
I think that Albania and the EU, even today, are still rediscovering each other. I am very happy that the EU became of prime importance for Albania and its internal reform agenda. That is key because the EU has a very sophisticated assistance infrastructure that is here to help you reform in the best possible way. The importance of Albania to the EU is multifold. First, I would say, there is this strategic quest of the European continent to become whole, free and at peace – that is not fully attainable before all European nations are together in a functional union. This union makes Europe a world power, with unique skills needed for new global challenges. Albania also brings many important elements to this union: it has a fundamental role in the stability of the south of the region, it is distinguished for its religious harmony, has very young and talented population, brings in territory that is strategically placed on a blue corridor for energy and other infrastructure important for the EU as a whole.
What are your impressions of working in Albania so far? Do you think it will be a difficult mission?
My first impression, the one that I actually did not expect, is that Albania is somewhat different from all other countries in the region. And there are many logical explanations for that, one of course a trauma of isolation and regime that abused human freedom in the worst possible way. In a way, I have a feeling that rules are still percieved as something that is not here to help. And that can not be more opposite from the truth. Besides, Albania still hase some serious developmental issues so we will have to work on two parallel tracks: development and reforms. Of course it will be a difficult mission in a sense of the amount of work that has to be accomplished, but what needs to be accomplished is so great and will bring such good that nothing is difficult in comparison to the goal I hope I can help Albania to reach.
Exacerbated political conflict is a recurrent feature in Albania and often it has become the toughest impediment in the European path. How do you see the present situation and the ongoing boycott of the parliament by the opposition?
That is indeed something really upsetting, for all friends of Albania, and I believe for all citizens of Albania as well. Your country is in the best possible place at this very moment: you have a candidate status, and now must focus on major reforms, such as reform of judicial system, public administration, reforms that would make corruption and all kinds of abuse impossible. For this you need all your strength, and brain power, and political will – together. Albania is not a big country, and 2.8 million people, with no ethnic or statehood issues, should be able for this togetherness. But instead of that we witness a series of self-inflicted wounds. This is contrary to the interests of your country. The position of the EU is clear: responsibility for governance is with those who were elected to do so. Governance is not only in the central government, it is also on the local level, within the ranks of the opposition. Governance is respecting people who voted for you so that you can represent their interests. In a democracy this can be done only in the institutions. All politicians in Albania have to resume their fundamental resonsibility – to serve the people.
You come from a fellow Balkan country, Croatia. How similar and how different do you think the paths of integration of Albania and Croatia are?
I represent the EU, but the country I know best is a member state and brought into the EU some of its unique features. One of them is this mixture of regional identities, because Croatia is really a part of three different regions: Central Europe, Mediterranean and the Balkans. Every country is unique, so there are numerous differencies, of course, but challenges of transition are very much comparable. Croatia started its EU journey far more developed, but had a horrible war and had to deal with many reconstruction challenges. What is important though are not so much the differences, but what is in front of us. And that is the same: European Union. Croatia is the last member state to negotiate its membership, so there is a lot of knowledge and experience of the last generation of the reform process, the methodology and the instruments. In that sense, Croatia and other member states with similar transition experiences can help really a lot. Finally, the fact that I as a Croat came here as a Head of EU Delegation is a living proof that the change is possible, that reform processes ultimately will bring you where you belong, and that is in an integrated union of European democracies.
In your opinion what needs to be done to transform regional cooperation from a (mostly) EU driven imperative to a more self sustainable process?
I would not actually use such a strong divide EU driven vs. self sustainable. It is one and the same thing: regional cooperation is the soul of Europe, it is one of the most important European policies in all of Europe, and more Europe will bring more regional cooperation as well. You cannot separate it, not in south east Europe, nor anywhere else. In the Balkans it got special dimension because of the horrible wars in the 1990- es, and regional cooperation became a synonim for reconcilliation. But it is not – it is a common sense need to cooperate with your neighbour. Where I come from there is a saying that it is better to have a good neighbour than the tallest and the strongest wall around you.
What would you highlight as the three main important points to take away from the Progress Report of this year on Albania?
Rule of Law, implementation of the reform agenda, and togetherness. With the rule of law I think everyone understands that this is the main challenge for the time ahead, from justice system reform to the awareness that paying electricity bills, and crossing the street at zebra is also rule of law. Second thing is implementation, absolute requirement that there is a credible track record of implementation of rules and regulations. Mere legislations would not do it. And the third message is for politicians not to waste the chance Albania was given, to be at the forefront of the enlargement process. This is not a job for one or the other or any party. This is a generational task, and all should understand that their country and its citizens are much more important than any individual or party interest.
How can the Albanian government but also the society contribute to a faster process especially to the important step of opening negotiations? How long do you think it will take Albania for this next step, the negotiations start?
It is absolutely premature, and would not be right, to speculate on the date for the opening of negotiations few months after the granting of candidate status. It is very clear that now Albania has to establish a very credible track record of implementation of reforms. Paper laws would not do. Good legislation is not enough. It must live, it has to be seen in the improvement of the quality of governance and quality of life of every citizen.
What is your position on the National Council for European integration that has not been approved yet? Is the Delegation helping for this Council to become a reality soon?
All institutions of Albania should be decided and created by the will and decisions of the citizens of Albania and those they have empowered to govern. The Delegation, and EU in general, can always help, with advice, a possible comparative model, or similar. But the ultimate responsibility is yours. National Council for EU integration is something that was very useful in some other candidate countries, it made it possible for a very wide scope of interested groups to be part of the reform discussion, and inclusiveness is one of the fundamentals for the success of the process.
The EU has now a new Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations DG and also it has been made clear that here will be a lull of at least 5 years on new accessions. What would you tell to those that might be discouraged and made skeptical towards the integration perspective by these developments?
EU has an enlargement directory that is now merged with the neighbourhood policy because it will reinforce the functionality of portfolios that have some similar elements. But enlargement is alive and very dynamic. Five years there will be no new members states, but there will be an enormous amount of work on the enlargement agenda, with the countries that are in the process.
What are the short-term and medium- term plans of the Delegation to engage the Albanian public into a more comprehensive platform regarding information on and ownership of the EU integration process?
This is a key, and my main ambition, if I may say so. EU reform process is won not in the highest institutions, they drive it but citizens make it possible. I have a feeling that there is a huge space for improvement in communication with the people of Albania, to explain that rules are there to protect them, that EU reforms have a final goal of making the quality of their individual life much better. My first instinct was to do a massive traffic safety campaign, that would once again show how we should respect each other in the space that we share, on the street. This is Europe: mutual respect through respect for rules that make our lives safer. I also want to work a lot on the local level, local communities are the spine of a State. I want to work on a communication campaign that would make people fully aware that it is them who decide. They are the owners of their destiny, and the best possible pressure group for reforms one can wish for.
Romana Vlahutin
Romana Vlahutin is the Head of EU Delegation to Albania since October 2014. Before that, Vlahutin served as the Foreign Affairs Adviser of the Croatian President, as Political Director of the OSCE Mission to Kosovo, diplomat in the Political Department of the Croatian Embassy to Washington, Head of Analytics and Political Planning in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Croatia, and Head of the Political Department and Deputy Ambassador in the Croatian Embassy to Belgrade. She participated in the work of the UN Bassiouni Commission and from 1994 to 1997 was an analyst in the Strategy Team of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and a researcher in the Council on Foreign Relations, Washington Office. During her years on the Croatian Foreign Service she was deeply involved in Croatia’s reform process towards EU integration. Vlahutin started her career as a reporter and editor in the early nineties. She actively participated in dozens of international relations conferences organised by major institutes and think-tanks and was a lecturer in a number of programmes on political leadership and at schools for young politicians. Vlahutin has written a number of essays and papers on culture and art as well as expert papers on international relations. She has a Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, and a Master’s degree from the J.F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, with a special focus on conflict management and international security.
