The EU door starts to open for Albania, a bit

Interview with: Sali Berisha, Albanian Prime Minister, 3 May 2009

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha stopped by New Europe’s NETV booth during the European People’s Party Congress in Warsaw, Poland on April 30, the same week he formally submitted an application to the European Union for membership, a process that takes some years, but which he said he was glad was finally underway.

It’s been a good spring for the often-overlooked Albania already, as the country, together with Croatia, finally made it into NATO, a springboard toward greater integration into the wider EU community, and he was glad to talk about it, as well as other aspirations for his country, during an interview.

With so much attention on the EU’s next round of expansion, ranging from Croatia to FYROM and, eventually the EU hopes, even to Turkey, Berisha was anxious that his country not be overlooked again, as it often is in the patchwork quilt that makes up the Balkans. Here’s what he had to say:

more see: http://www.neurope.eu/articles/94095.php