Albania: Status? Not without 12 key recommendations"

The Danish EU presidency doesn’t think that things could move faster with Albania’s EU candidate status application.

Asked by Top Channel if Albania has made sufficient progress for receiving the candidate status during or by the end of this candidacy, the Danish Minister of European Matters declared:

Nicolai Wammen, Danish Minister for European Matters: We welcome all steps that Albania has undertaken for improving the reforms, the democracy and stability in Europe. In this framework, we hope that we will be able to continue our close cooperation with Albania. I don’t think that someone sees this as something that could advance fast, but the presidency welcomes the efforts of Commissioner Fule and the others in the Commission, for our close relations with Albania.

Top Channel asked the Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Fule, about the major challenges that Albania must fulfill for catching up with the neighbor countries.

Stefan Fule, European Commissioner for Enlargement: “Let me add that the rules of the game for Albania are very clear. There have been a series of key recommendations, and the implementation of these recommendations is a very key element for Albania, not only for the EU candidate status, but also for opening the membership negotiations. We can receive information at any time that Albania has given good results on the 12 key recommendations, and when this happens, we will report to the European Council with the necessary recommendations for approving the next steps. The challenges for Albania are: to construct with an all-inclusive spirit upon the reforms that were achieved in November 2011. For this I have in mind the legislative reform for the elections. We are talking about a new approach of the 12 key criteria, turning this process into a real all-inclusive process, when both government and the opposition play their role, and the other important actors play their role; and also the way how the government and the opposition cooperate in Parliament, especially as regards the legislation that requires a qualified majority and other matters that are clearly related with the European agenda”.