Managing Director for Balkan, Miroslav Lajcak, reported at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. He underlined that the lacking of political dialogue in Albania is withholding the necessary reforms for EU integration.
“Keep sending messages, especially on the necessity of a political dialogue, without which there cannot be a normal political life in the country. Secondly, indicate that these elections should be free and honest. Local politicians know very well what to do for making free and honest elections. This is the pressure that should come out from here, to make it clear that we are observing them closely and to make clear of how much they depend on these elections”, Lajcak told the European parliament members.
The EU parliament members commented on the situation in Albania.
Eduard Kukan, head of the Delegation for Balkan in the European Parliament: “Each of us should invest more in Albania to help Albanian politicians overpass the political crisis that is putting the future at risk. Without solving this crisis with political instruments, it is very difficult to speak about the future and about progress.”
Viktor Bostinary: “On the Albanian case, we failed to have a unanimous voice. The result is bad, if not too bad. As you know, the regulation of the Albanian Parliament was changed recently. These new rules are really a new discovery… because they firstly allow the approval of the law, and then you can debate on the law. This is totally a new vision and you should say something on that.”
Jelko Kacin: “We have to make everything ready for them, because they are unable to achieve anything on their own. We should permeate.”
Nicholaos Chountis: “The electoral campaign in Albania does not seem impartial. There has also been violence, and we are concerned. Do you really think that these elections will be democratic? What do you think about the local executives there? What do they expect from us, to solve their problems for them?”
Lajcak: “People expect from the European Union a better and clearer perspective. In the sense that we cannot change our goal at the end of the process, we cannot add other conditions. We should make clear what is needed, as we did with the visas, by giving them a guide that clearly indicates what should be done for achieving the visa liberalization. We should help them, to Europeanize them and not allow them to make us instruments of their inner interests.”
The special EU envoy for the solution of the Albanian crisis, Miroslav Lajcak, refused to replace Peter Faith as EU representative in Pristina until the next official is assigned. We learned that one reason for this refusal was the fact that Mr. Lajcak’s country, Slovakia, has not officially recognized Kosovo independence.
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