This week, the EU Council officially granted Albania EU candidate status. On that occasion, Tirana Times contacted several international representatives and local experts in Tirana to express their views on what Albania being an EU candidate means, and what are the likely main challenges Albania faces next in its EU bid. We are bringing their responses here.
Italian Ambassador Massimo Gaiani:
The granting of the candidate status by the 28 EU ministers, which Albania deserved, means first of all the recognition of the efforts and the commitment made so far by the country to meet the demands of the European Union. In addition, a signal is given that Albania is moving forward in the path of the European integration, “an historic step not only for Albania but also for the entire region of the Western Balkans”, as the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs declared shortly after Tuesday’s decision. It also means that, from now on, all the necessary reforms to make the country compatible with the existing rules within the European Union must be realized with even greater commitment. On the other side, it confirms not only the continued European engagement for the enlargement policy but also its credibility: when the country delivers, EU delivers. And last but not least, symbolically and historically important for the European dream of the country, for the region and for all Europe: the candidate status is granted in the week of commemoration of 100 years of the beginning of World War I, shortly after Albania’s centenary.
The main challenges Albania faces in the near future are clearly indicated by the European Commission’s spring interim progress report, known as the key priorities, reflected in the conclusions of the General Affairs Council. Those include notably the reform of the public administration and the judiciary, the fight against organized crime and corruption, the protection of human rights and anti-discrimination policies, and a concrete solution to the problem of the property rights. All these challenges are also included in the Roadmap that the Albanian government and opposition have prepared together with the European Commission, in charge of the monitoring of its full implementation.
German Ambassador Hellmut Hoffmann:
First of all I would like to congratulate Albania and all Albanians on this achievement! Many have worked very hard for the EU candidate status and I am delighted that these efforts have paid off. The candidate status is an important step on the road towards integration into the European Union – so this is without doubt a very significant moment for the future of Albania! Germany has strongly supported the European perspective of Albania as of the Western Balkans as a whole and will continue to do so.
I would hope that the candidate status now achieved will serve as a strong additional motivation and incentive for stepping up the reform- and modernization agenda. Albania faces many challenges: the fight against corruption and organized crime, the reform of the judiciary, the building up of a merit-based civil service, the strengthening of independent media – to mention but a few key themes. Of course, the candidate status does not create some kind of automatism leading to the opening of accession negotiations, but an important milestone has now certainly been set. The European Union institutions and the EU-Member States, including Germany, will continue to follow very closely the developments in Albania and in particular the practical implementation of reforms and I am confident they will all do their best to assist and encourage further progress. Albanians have good reason to celebrate on this occasion and my hope is that everybody will now focus with renewed energy and also in a new spirit of working constructively together on the next steps ahead.
Polish Ambassador Marek Jeziorski:
Agreement reached at the General Affairs Council of the June 24 to grant Albania EU candidate status, subject to endorsement by the European Council on June 27 June, is a milestone development for Albania and the process of its integration with the European Union. It is a great achievement for the whole country, for the government, the Assembly of Albania and its commissions, for all those who during last several years contributed to Albanian EU integration efforts. It is also an undeniable proof that with determination, clear vision and sense of purpose, as well as with necessary appropriate level of cooperation within the country, it is possible to reach ambitious goals. The decision should also be seen and understood as confirmation of the EU’s commitment to move credibly forward the enlargement policy of the Union and to support Albania in the process of integration with the EU.
Albania has reasons to celebrate. At the same time one has to have it clear that Albanian society and Albania’s political class are confronted with new challenges ahead. Council’s conclusions of December 2013 and of June 2014 define the whole range of goals to be achieved in five priority areas, reforms of public administration and judiciary, fight against corruption and organized crime, strengthening human rights protection. The process of implementing above criteria of opening accession negotiations in the future will not be easy and quick. All these reforms and actions are necessary not to satisfy EU capitals, but first and foremost to modernize the country, to improve the quality of public institutions and conditions for Albanian and foreign business as well as the quality of daily life of Albanian people. Albania needs investments, but it also needs satisfied well-educated and active citizens who are confident that their country is heading in the right direction. Strategic objective of becoming an EU member state still enjoys a high level public support in Albania. It is a challenge for everyone to jointly contribute to the achieving of this goal, regardless of political affiliations and ambitions.
Poland has been supporting Albania in the process of its integration with the EU. Memorandum on Cooperation in the Field of European Integration signed this year by foreign ministers of Albania and Poland will be implemented through various forms of cooperation, consultations and experience sharing. The highest level political dialogue and economic cooperation will continue to develop.
Swedish Charg顤’Affaires a.i. Patrik Svensson:
Sweden is one of the strongest advocates of continued EU enlargement. Thus, we are very happy that Albania has achieved candidate status. Congratulations! This proves that the reform processes in Albania are on the right track and are producing results. The EU has now recognized this fact. The enlargement process is credible. The status should give a further boost to Albania’s EU-integration efforts and spur the political class to work even harder in order to fulfill the remaining challenges in order to qualify for the opening of accession negotiations. Albania’s candidate status is also a good signal as it confirms the EU perspective to the whole region.
Continued reform commitment and fulfillment of the five key priorities will be necessary for accession negotiations to open. Judicial and institutional reforms, the fight against corruption and organized crime continue to be main challenges. Political will and responsibility, dialogue, engagement and inclusiveness, and a strong need to respect what is in the interest of Albania as a whole, will be crucial in this regard. The creation of the National Council for European Integration later this summer is a good development. Further high-level dialogue meetings will also assist Albania to stay focused on the reform challenges.
Sweden will remain engaged in Albania to assist its further EU integration. This integration is crucial for Albania’s further pursuit of democratic standards, rule of law and openness, as well as sustainable economic development. Our government’s recent adoption of a seven-year (2014-2020) regional strategy for reform cooperation, which includes Albania, shows a long-term commitment to achieve sustainable results in true partnership with Albanian stakeholders. Our support will focus on enabling sustainable democratic development and is directed at administrative and legal reforms, human rights, civil society, economic integration and development, as well as the environment and energy. Gender equality remains a priority. We support the ongoing territorial reform process where we encourage engagement and cooperation from all sides.
EU Delegation to Albania Charg顤’Affaires a.i. Clive Rumbold:
The granting of candidate status to Albania is both an acknowledgement for the progress the country achieved on its accession path, and an encouragement to pursue the reform process with determination. As stressed by Commissioner F
