Bostinaru: Berisha must change
13/10/2011 00:00
Linda Rama: Between Family, Work and Albania’s Future 18/08 14:30
Victor Bostinaru, the Vice Chairman of the European Parliament
Delegation for relations with the countries of South East Europe,
commented yesterday the 2011 Progress Report on Albania, expressing his
deep concern for the path the country is following, and regretting that
for the second consecutive year the country was not able to be granted
the EU candidate status.
The progress report said that Albania had limited progress in fulfilling the political criteria and the 12 key recommendations. The document also emphasized the work that still needs to be done with the war against corruption and the judicial system.
Bostinaru says in his declaration:
“I’m afraid the political leading Albania has not yet understood how much they are losing as a country, but even more how much they are making the Albanian citizens lose. This is what irritates me most, the fact that because of the political guide of a few people, all citizens are facing an uncertain future, certainly darker than what they expected and what they deserve. If there is no swift change, I fear next time the European Commission will be forced to call this Regress Report rather than Progress Report”.
Bostinaru also added that the context of the report was not a surprise for him.
“I would have been pleased to be contradicted by the report, but unfortunately I just see a full confirmation of what I have been affirming for many months now. I hope the Albanian Government will take not of the Commission’s assessment, realize that the line followed until now is well far away from the right one, and change it radically. The political deadlock will take Albania nowhere. Mr. Berisha must understand that in a democracy the majority governs with the involvement of the opposition, in particular on key issues like the necessary reforms. He should explain to the citizens why this has not been done until now, making the country lose two years”, he adds.
According to Bostinaru, the Commission’s assessment that no progress has been made in the legislative framework for elections and with regard to the independence of the judicial system, is a very concerning sign, especially if it is added to the confirmation that the Central Election Commission undertook unilateral decisions on the May 8th elections.
The Romanian MEP concludes his declaration by saying that he hopes that Albania will start shortening the gap that divides it from other Western Countries that are marking good progresses. But this can be made only through a close cooperation with the opposition, something that in Albania has been missing for a long time.
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