On Wednesday 7 February, Albania's mission to the EU said that Albania "appreciates" the Western Balkans strategy presented by the European Commission on 6 February (see EUROPE 11955).
In response to a request from EUROPE for a reaction, the mission said this strategy was "a clear signal of the revival of the enlargement policy in the EU". "We welcome that it offers a clear enlargement perspective to all the countries of the Western Balkans, paving the way for more positive expectations in the EU’s integration path of these countries during 2018", the mission added. It also hailed "the positive assessment of the European Commission on the significant progress Albania is making in its European path and the Commission’s readiness to recommend opening of accession negotiations with Albania on the basis of the fulfilled conditions".
The mission furthermore appreciates "the prospect of a more structured EU engagement in the Western Balkans in political, technical and financial terms", and welcomes the six flagship initiatives defined by the Commission.
In addition, the Albanian mission hopes that this "ambitious programme" will be fully supported by the member states, "as an investment on the sustainability of the reform process (...) and on the democratic stability of the Western Balkans region". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)