EC: Albania, same as Bosnia

“Croatia has reached a very high preparation level for undertaking the membership responsibility”, the European Council declares.

Macedonia, which enjoys the candidate status since 6 years ago, has remained blocked by Greece for the name issue, regardless the positive recommendations of the Commission.

The confidential document says that Skopje must give more efforts in the political criteria.

“Further efforts are needed, especially for the judicial system independence, Public Administration reforms, war against corruption and media freedom”, says the document.

Montenegro has also risen beside the other regional countries that progressed this year. After taking the candidate status last year, it expects a positive recommendation from the Commission for opening the membership negotiations and after the visit in Podgorica of the Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Fule, one day after the progress reports will be published.

The document considers as positive the fulfillment of the 7 key priorities, but the Commission doesn’t seem happy for some of them.

The commission will pay a special attention to Montenegro’s progress monitoring for the rule of law and anti-discrimination, with the purpose to keep the same pace of the reforms in these areas”, the European Commission underlines.

Albania and Bosnia are mentioned for the political crisis, and are included as the weak students of the region.

“A number of countries delayed important reforms, often as result of domestic policies and conflicts. The delays and blockings were more serious in Bosnia Herzegovina and Albania. Good governing, law and order, administrative capabilities, unemployment and economic reforms remain the greater challenges. There have been a number of concerning developments in the area of freedom of speech in the media”, the document says.

Kosovo is criticized for the elections, the lack of reforms, the weak state administration and judicial system.

“After the early elections and the Presidential election by the Parliament, there was not much progress regarding the reform agenda. The elections themselves marked serious irregularities that need to be addressed”, the document says.

While it remains still unknown if the country will start the visa dialogue and establish trade relations with the EU, the recent developments in Northern Kosovo are mentioned with great concern in the preliminary document for the Enlargement Strategy.

The stance of Belgrade in the dialogue with Pristina might affect Brussels’ evaluations for giving the candidate status or not, despite the positive evaluations on the economy and the judicial system, after handing over two war criminals to Hague.

For this matter, the Commission has still to convince the two skeptic EU members, Netherland and Germany. Next Friday, the chiefs of the cabinet will discuss in the commission about the Enlargement Strategy, which will be finalized in the meeting of October 6th, by the Commissioner’s College, and will be later distributed with the special progress reports for each country.

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