Brussels, 29/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - Albania's ambassador to the European Union, Mimoza Halimi, tells EUROPE what EU accession status means for her country (written interview conducted by CG).
Agence Europe: Albania has just been granted the status of EU accession candidate (see EUROPE 11107). What does this status mean for your country?
Mimoza Halimi, Albania's ambassador to the EU: The decision is an acknowledgment that some ambitious and large-scale reforms undertaken by Albania have been achieved. This step shows that the European Union believes that Albania shows the resolve to start a new phase. And the status of candidate country is an encouragement for the difficult tasks that await us on this new path. We see the status of candidate country as the start of an era that requires deep reforms to prepare for the accession negotiations. The government has a very big commitment to lead these reforms to a successful outcome - especially the reforms linked to the rule of law - and it is convinced that only transformation and deep modernisation will fulfil the hopes of the Albanian people to see their country as a worthy member of the European family.
The Council conclusions accompanying Albania's candidate country status highlight numerous conditions for starting the accession negotiations (see EUROPE 11107). When do you think that Albania will be able to fulfil these conditions for opening the negotiations?
In the progress report of October 2013, the European Commission set five key priorities that should be achieved ahead of opening the negotiations: - continuing reform to the public administration with the objective of making it more professional and depoliticising it; - the independence and effectiveness of the judicial system, making it more responsible; - continuing efforts to fight against corruption, creating a track record of investigations, trials and sentences; - continuing efforts to fight against organised crime and strengthen the protection of human rights - including those of the Roma - and protect against discrimination; - and ownership rights.
The Council reaffirmed these priorities in December 2013 and in the conclusions that accompany the decision on granting Albania candidate status this June. The Albanian authorities want 2015 to be the year dedicated to the implementation of concrete measures on the five priorities leading to the opening of the negotiations.
The member states stress the importance of fighting against corruption and organised crime, as well as the importance of judicial reform, reform of the public administration, and protecting human rights. What is Albania doing in these areas in concrete terms?
The decision to grant candidate status was taken following Albania's concrete achievements in fighting against corruption and organised crime - through the strengthening of investigations and sentences - as well as in preventing them, strengthening these areas and clearly improving coordination between Albania's institutions. Our government adopted a roadmap for this - with concrete measures for achieving the five key priorities, with clear indicators and deadlines. The plan was commended by the European Commission, and we consulted the Commission constantly - as well as the member states - when writing the plan.
How are your relations with the EU member states and your neighbouring countries?
Albania has very good relations with all EU member states. Our country has enjoyed and continues to enjoy a constructive role as regards developments in our region. Albania has an important role for the region's stability and we have played this role in a truly European spirit of good neighbourliness.
What can Albania bring the EU?
The integration of Albania and the Western Balkans into the EU increases the EU's security in the broad sense of the notion of security - which includes the fight against organised crime, trafficking and illegal immigration. Our region and Albania are also important from the point of view of the EU's energy security - especially through the TAP project which will bring gas to the EU from the Caspian Sea, thus ensuring the diversification of energy sources.
Croatia took ten years to join the EU. Does that worry you?
We think that, in order for the enlargement process to be credible, and for positive effects to be produced from what we commonly call the EU's power of transformation, decisions must be taken on the basis of implementing pre-established conditions. We believe that the EU needs a strategic vision with a re-assessment of the values of peace on which the European project is founded, and we believe that this vision needs to incorporate our region.
We hope that the high-level meeting between the states of the region, with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and other high representatives from the EU, which is planned for the end of August will serve this objective. The current security situation in Europe makes such a strategic approach necessary. This does not mean that we need to shorten the road and facilitate the work that the accession process requires. But we hope that the enlargement process can be trusted, based on our merits and on our strategic vision of the EU. For us, the process is not an issue of dates but an issue of achieving a modern transformation of our country during the process of preparing for accession.