Does Albania face an unwritten bias in its EU bid? Croatia’s prime minister says that’s the case, citing lack of equal footing with Serbia, and adding that the issue must be addressed
TIRANA, Jan. 23 – The Albanian government has hinted it is not happy about perceived double standards in moving forward Albania’s EU integration bid, after Albania was denied candidate status in December, while Serbia moved even further forward with opening membership negotiations. But this week, the strongest statement backing the view came from EU’s newest member – Croatia.
Albania faces bias and regional double standards in its bid to open accession negotiations for membership in the European Union, and Croatia will help to correct the matter, the country’s prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, has said during an official visit to the Albanian capital.
Milanovic said Albania should have already been granted candidate status and been allowed to open negotiations for European Union membership.
Albania “faces certain obstacles Šsome which Albania needs to change, but also some that are not fair toward Albania,” Milanovic said at a joint press conference with his Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama.
Milanovic added that EU enlargement policies in some member states “often come under pressure from prejudices against certain ethnic groups and regions.”
The Albanian government and independent analysts had previously expressed concerns that a changing European Union and growth in right-wing Euro-skepticism, mixed with Albania’s negative image in the continent ahead of European elections, weighed heavily in the decision to deny the status.
As NATO member, Albania “does not deserve to be a subject to bias, but for the sake of truth, such a bias against you exists. This worries us, and we will try to eliminate it,” Milanovic said in an interview with an Albanian private television station.
Croatia joined the EU in 2013, after joining NATO at the same time as Albania in 2008.
Albania’s bid to gain the status of official candidate for membership in the European Union was delayed again in December, when EU member states also decided to open negotiations with Serbia, placing Belgrade two steps ahead of Tirana in the integration process.
“I disagree with the decision that was made for Albania, but it had to be taken unanimously, so one vote against or an abstention leads to collapse of the entire structure. My opinion is that Albania should have started negotiations in parallel with Serbia,” Milanovic said in an interview in Albania’s Top Channel television station.
Albania had gained support of all relevant EU bodies to get candidate status in December, but the Netherlands, which had also delayed Serbia’s bid in the past, said it would veto Tirana’s progress at the EU because it wanted to see more results in the fight against corruption and crime. The Dutch were later joined by several others in their objection, including the governments in Berlin, London and Paris.
Milanovic also urged Albania to follow Croatia’s example in an uncompromising fight against corruption.
Albania’s prime minister, Rama said despite the opposition Albania faces, the process of reform, modernization and integration into the EU has no alternative.
“We will become a better country and our people will live better. Regardless of whether it happens in June or later, we will continue to implement the changes as they are good for Albania,” Rama said.
Focus on the work, EU officials say
Rama’s message is in line with statements of local EU officials in Tirana, who put emphasis that Albania should be patient and that it will get its bid going soon, as long as it keeps up working and shows some positive result.
Last week the ambassadors of the EU and Greece, whose country runs the bloc’s presidency this first half of the year, urged Albania to push ahead wide-ranging reforms ahead of the EU’s decision in on whether to grant the Balkan state candidate status to the bloc.
EU’s Ambassador Ettore Sequi said a decision on Albania’s candidate status, which has been rejected three times, will be taken in June. He said he is convinced Albania has the ability to succeed in June.
“I am neither optimist, nor a pessimistic, but realistic … It is therefore of the utmost importance to keep the dialogue with the EU alive on a range of relevant issues, not least the economy, rule of law, the protection of human rights and the overall enlargement agenda,” Sequi told a news conference.
Greece’s Leonidas Rokanas said his country would back enlargement of the EU because it meant growth and was a win-win situation. He urged Albania to keep up its modernization drive to convince EU members with a proven track record.
Albania should work more not only for its economy and public administration but especially with the justice system. Fighting corruption and organized crime are the ever-mentioned words in the EU statements, EU officials say.
Analysts say that despite the current frustration, this could actually be useful in stimulating the Rama government to put the reforms into practice. Others say another rejection will backfire, leaving Albanians jaded and with little incentive.
European Commissioner for enlargement, Stefan Fule, has said that “we have a date for June and I believe that, if Albania continues at this rate, it will obtain candidate status.”
EU parliamentarian Eduard Kukan said the countries that opposed Albania in December are looking for some concrete results.
Those countries seem to expect “something more than a promising atmosphere in the country. They expect proof that concrete results are guaranteed,” he said.
The message echoes that of Paschal Donohoe, Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs, who visited Tirana representing a group of eight countries that actively lobbied for Albania to be granted the status in December.
Donohoe said Albanians must continue their efforts to “concretely demonstrate the country’s achievements,” but he said that although the EU had undergone massive changes in recent years, membership decisions are based on principles not on discrimination or bias.
