Albania for a secular Europe: interview with Klajda Gjosha, Albanian minister of European integration

by 

Dan Alexe

21.03.2015 - 14:57

Turkey, FYROM, Serbia, Bosnia and Albania have begun or are currently lined up to begin negotiations to join the EU. The decision to allow Albania to start its accession negotiations followed progress by Edi Rama, the Albanian prime minister, who came to power in June 2013, in the battle against organised crime and corruption. 

The 28 EU member states granted Albania the status of official EU membership candidate on 24 June 2014. This is the next step in Albania's long road to becoming an EU member state, and is recognition of recent reforms in the country.
Albania is now the fifth accession candidate along with Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia, FYROM. Klajda Gjosha is Minister of European Integration of Republic of Albania from September 2013.
New Europe: You run one of the most important ministries in your country, more important, in the present circumstances, than, let’s say, the ministry of defence. You have to push your country into Europe. How far are you from the goal?
Klajda Gjosha: Mine is, indeed one of the most important ministries. European integration is our main priority. Last June, all member states voted for Albania. We are focusing now on the five main priorities that are already set. Judicial reform is the most important. Actually, the Commission likes to start the negotiations with the most difficult chapters, like everything that concerns the rule of law, human rights and so on… What happens is that a country’s legislation is slowly brought on the same level with EU legislation.
New Europe: Is there a term, a time limit, for a country to join the EU? Let’s take Croatia, for instance. Negotiations went on for something like six years, right? While Turkey has started negotiating ages ago, and it is still far from the goal. How do you feel when you are told that during this Commission term there will be no enlargement?  
Klajda Gjosha: You can’t compare the situation of Albania with that from other countries, like Turkey, for instance. Albania is part of Europe, not only geographically, but also in full spirit.
New Europe: Who are your allies? There must be some older member states, like Italy for instance, that you feel closer to. Croatia, maybe? There must be some countries that help you more than others. 
Klajda Gjosha: Albania has very good relations with all member states, even with more developed member states, like Germany or France. But, of course, Italy or Greece, countries closer to us are traditionally more friendly.
New Europe: In the Balkan context, do you feel that the situation of Kosovo is a burden for you? Aren’t you slowed down by what happens there?
Klajda Gjosha: Absolutely not. We don’t feel that Kosovo is a burden. We even cooperate with them, as we do with all countries that aspirate to become member states one day.
New Europe: How do you view the Albanians from Kosovo? How do Albanians from Albania proper view the Kosovar identity? 
Klajda Gjosha: We always communicated with them in order to be together a part of Europe. We, Albanians, project a very good image when it comes to religion and neighbourhood relations. This is the best message that we have always given to our neighbours.
New Europe: Right, Albania is more secularised than its neighbours. 
Klajda Gjosha: Yes. We are secularised, although there are many religious communities that live together in Albania in total understanding and peace.
New Europe: You even have a national religion: the Bektashis, that only exist in Albania.  
Klajda Gjosha: Yes. On the other hand, we would like Europe not to take this for granted and to understand that religion can always be exploited, dragged towards terrorism, as we see around these days. We want Europe to understand this in the case of Albania and to notice the importance of our efforts.