Albania's EU Candidacy Bid DelayedTirana Besar Likmeta
PM Berisha holding the EU candidacy applicationThe European Commission, EC, again failed to review Albania’s candidate status during its meeting on Thursday, pushing a possible decision to next month.
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha officially submitted the country’s application for EU candidate's status during a visit to Prague on April 28. At that time, the Czechs held the EU's rotating Presidency.
In the last EU progress report on Albania, released in November 2008, the EC acknowledged that the country had continued to make progress on democratisation and the rule of law. However widespread corruption in the highest echelons of power remained a problem, the report found.
It added that a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy had yet to kick off.
The report also noted that only limited progress had been made in preventing money laundering, and in the fight against drug trafficking, which remained "a serious concern”. Albania is lacking an adequate court infrastructure, the report said, stressing that a “comprehensive reform strategy for the judiciary system is still missing”.
The report also noted that only limited progress had been made in preventing money laundering, and in the fight against drug trafficking, which remained "a serious concern”. Albania is lacking an adequate court infrastructure, the report said, stressing that a “comprehensive reform strategy for the judiciary system is still missing”.
According to the paper, Albania needed to make greater efforts to establish an independent, efficient, and merit-based civil service.Albania had made progress in aligning its legislation, policies, and capacities with European standards and in implementing interim agreement commitments.
However, in the field of justice, freedom, and security, the country had progressed “unevenly”; therefore, the EC saw a need for overall improvement.
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