The European Commission stated that Albania fulfilled the Candidate
Status conditions, but to convince the hesitating member countries that
will vote in December, our country must keep up with the fight against
organized crime and corruption.
“The European Union concluded that Albania marked good progress with the European Integration, especially the essential measures connected with the candidate status, and by continuing reforms defined as key priorities in the Opinion of the Commission of 2010. Albania took the first steps for improving the efficiency of investigations and prosecution in fight against organized crime and corruption. The Parliamentary Elections of 2013 were generally calm and in good order. Based on this, the European Commission recommends that Albania should receive the candidate status, in the sense that Albania is continuing to take actions in the fight against organized crime and corruption”, declared the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Fule.
According to the Commission, for Albania to open the accession talks, which are the next step, first it must fulfill the four remaining conditions of the Opinion 2010.
“Albania must continue with the public administration reform; must undertake further actions for reinforcing independence, efficiency and responsibilities of the judiciary institutions; must make more decisive steps in the fight against organized crime and corruption, including the establishing of strong evidence tracking and proactive investigations, criminal prosecution and convictions. Albania must take efficient measures to strengthen the human rights protection, including policies for the Roma community, together with anti-discrimination policies and the implementation of property rights laws”, Fule declared.
The Commissioner declared that Albania’s positive commitment in the region is essential for the European future of the country, and that a constructive and stable dialogue between the government and the opposition is vital for the European integration reforms.
As for the Copenhagen Economic criteria, the Commission assessed that Albania was able to keep the macro-economic stability, but the domestic economy remains delicate and vulnerable to internal structural weaknesses and to the global economic destabilization.
Concerns remain about the high budget deficit, bad loans of the banking system, public debt and its short-term provisions, The progress report says that the fiscal prediction should be guaranteed from lowering the current overestimation of revenues, and by collecting taxes with more efficiency.
As for the adaptation to European laws, Albania has reached progress in the areas of public procurement, statistics, justice, customs, freedom and security. But there is limited progress in the areas of copyright protection, taxes, energy, environment and climatic changes. The progress report demands stable efforts in strengthening the administrative capacities and in implementing the legislations for improving transparency and accountability.
Prepared by: ARTA TOZAJ
Fulfilling the 5 criteria
Fule: Will start high dialogue with Tirana
After the recommendation for the status, the European Commission is expected to start soon a high level dialogue with the Albanian authorities for fulfilling the 5 remaining criteria and an as soon as possible recommendation for starting the accession talks. This has been confirmed by Commissioner Fule for Top Channel, after presenting the enlargement package at the Foreign Committee of the European Parliament.
“Let’s call it a high level dialogue for integration. Now it is up to the government. We have presented some initial ideas and I have already planned to go to Albania. I am hopeful to discuss these propositions to reach tangible agreements on the format. I think that it is important to not see this like something concrete that avoids Albania’s focus for the key priorities. On the contrary, high-rank dialogue is about how to engage with the Albanian government, and hopefully with the opposition, about the five key priorities, and give a political orientation so that they can be able to treat them more effectively, and so that the Commission can be able to recommend the member countries the opening of the accession negotiations as soon as possible”, Fule declared.
According to the Top Channel sources, Fule has planned to visit Albania on November 12th. The high-level dialogue practice has been used even before with other Balkan countries. It aims to increase the commitment and political will in the highest ranks, so that the country can get a faster approach to the first step after the status, the opening of the accession negotiations.
Fule presents enlargement strategy
“Our motto: Fundamental matters come first”
The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Fule, introduced today in Brussels the new enlargement strategy, starting it by declaring that this was a good year for the European Union, and for this he mentioned the Nobel Prize and the “poetic agreement”, as he has called it in more than one occasion, between Belgrade and Prishtina.
Fule made it clear that a key significance for the candidate country and the European Union is the credibility and that the fulfillment of the criteria is considered plainly in its function.
“We have emphasized the rule of law because we hope to establish an enlargement culture, which can show that the enlargement of the block cannot be done with an automatic pilot, but it is a serious policy, a cooperation between members. The progress-report motto for this year is: ‘fundamental matters come first’. We want to offer to the citizens the guarantee that enlargement will not weaken the European Union, but on the contrary, it will strengthen it even more. And by the end of the process we will help the candidate countries to reinforce the reform structure. A consensual candidate, so that the country can keep taking actions in the fight against organized crime and corruption”, Fule declared.
This formulation was presented this Wednesday to the European Union member countries, but the accession talks are conditioned by the fulfillment of obligations, especially the reforms in the administration, the rule of law and the basic rights.
Different from the last year, when the recommendation for the candidate status was conditioned by the fulfillment of the three reforms, that of the Parliament, the High Court Law and the Civil Service, this time the European Commission in its document for Albania proposes to the member countries to give the candidate status with the understanding that Albania will keep undertaking reforms in the fight against organized crime and corruption.
The recommendation comes after the Commission valued that: “Albania has made good progress in its European Integration path, especially by passing several measures”, which have been identified as essential for the country to benefit the candidate status, and also by undertaking reforms in the given areas, as a key priority in the Commission’s Opinion of 2010.
Albania has taken the first steps for improving the efficiency of investigations, and for following the cases against organized crime and corruption. The June 23rd elections are also valued with positive notes, saying that they were held calmly and in order.
The final decision will be taken in December, during the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the member countries, among which there are several skeptics. But according to some western diplomats, there are fewer chances that the Council will reject a positive recommendation.
Prepared by: ARTA TOZAJ
Top Channel
