16/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - During his visit to Brussels this week, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha handed the Albanian responses to the questionnaire to Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle. The questionnaire is to help the Commission prepare its “opinion” on the country's request for accession. Albania's application for EU membership was presented on 28 April 2009. On 16 November 2009, the Council invited the Commission to prepare its opinion. Speaking to the press on 14 April alongside Berisha, Füle underlined that the opinion would be “just and balanced” and that it would give an objective reflection of Albania's state of preparedness for membership. “We shall pay special attention to compliance with the Copenhagen criteria and to the obligations of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement”, the commissioner added. He also said he was concerned by the political impasse in which the country now finds itself. Stefan Füle does not rule out the fact that the permanent tension between the government and opposition (which is boycotting the parliament) could have a negative impact on the Commission's opinion, which is not expected until autumn this year. (H.B./transl.jl)