Invited by “Friends of Europe” in Brussels for the annual meeting about
Balkan, the Foreign Minister of Albania, Ditmir Bushati, was welcomed by
his Belgian counterpart, Didier Reynders, with whom he discussed the
reforms undertaken by Albania regarding the start of the EU accession
negotiations and bilateral relations.
Ditmir Bushati, Foreign Minister: There have been several important events, such as the application of the Apostille stamp, the agreement for social insurance and transportation. These have a direct impact on Albanian citizens and their procedures in the consulates of Belgium. We also discussed the support that Belgium has always given to our aspiration for the EU negotiations. This includes the importance of the justice reform, so that Albania can receive it this year, initially with the recommendation of the European Commission and then with the support of the member countries.
The Albanian Foreign Minister was received by rapporteur Knut Fleckenstein and Gianni Pitella, head of the left Parliamentary Group. The latter was positive for opening the accession negotiations.
Gianni Pitella, President of “S&D” at the EP: Albania is going on the right track. There are still some things to be done, such as the justice reform. If this is concluded, I am convinced that Albania might start the negotiation process. I think that the Albanian government, led by my friend, Edi Rama, should be united with the opposition for the objective of starting the negotiations.
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