Implementing integration criteria

The study doesn’t include the two priorities related with the elections, but however, it notes that Albania’s weakest point is the failure to implement the political criterion, in which there has been less progress than one year ago.

“This is mainly and essentially due to the underestimation the efforts needed for the fulfillment, which are indispensable in the areas where they are required. And the progress depends from the political consensus. Compared to one year ago, the reforms have slowed down. Only 20% of the 102 measures planned for 2011 have been implemented, 76% are partially implemented and for 4% the work hasn’t started yet, declared Andi Dobrushi, representative of the Soros Foundation.

But the Foundation has not found full cooperation with the entire administration chain for monitoring the 12 priorities fulfillment, since most of the times their requests have been ignored. This happens when the progress report is planned by consulting the civil society systematically, as the EU representative in Tirana declared.

He added that they sent 50 requests for receiving information from the respective authorities, but received answer for 48% of them, and the information is complete only for 34% of the cases. 20% of the institutions have given no answer at all.

“Albania should mobilize all resources for progressing with the EU integration. This means mobilizing the government, the opposition, the media, academics, citizens and the civil society, because the civil society has a special role for bringing expertise and alternative perspectives in reforms”, declared the EU representative, Clive Rumbold.

After the publishing of the European Commission report on 12 October, the Soros Foundation will undertake a series of activities for discussing the further steps for progressing with the reforms.

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