Albania takes major step on road to EU membership

21/02/2006

Albanian Foreign Minister Besnik Mustafaj and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn signed the first page of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement at the weekend. EU foreign ministers are expected to approve the full document this spring.

By Erlis Selimaj for Southeast European Times in Tirana -- 21/02/06

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (right) shakes hands with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha in Tirana on Saturday (18 February). [Gent Shkullaku]

Albania took a significant step forward on the road to EU membership Saturday (18 February) as it signed the technical part of a Stablisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the 25-nation bloc.

In a ceremony in Tirana, Foreign Minister Besnik Mustafaj and visiting EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn initialled the first page of the deal. The full agreement now requires approval by EU foreign ministers, who are expected to give the go-ahead later this year.

Negotiations on a SAA, the first legal step towards EU membership, have been under way since 2003.

Saturday's signing coincided with a four-hour visit to Albania by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who was touring the EU candidate countries in the region with Rehn.

"This is a very important moment for Albania," Barroso said. "Today, we signed the first page of the SAA, which includes an important section on the development of a free market and also other political components," Barroso noted at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

"After the signing of the agreement, which I hope will be done this spring, the next important step will be its right implementation. This will be the sole condition for every other step in the integration process," Barroso said.

He praised the contribution of Albanian experts in compiling the SAA, and urged the country's political parties to work together for stability, and to resolve key issues through consensus.

Barroso also addressed the Albanian Parliament during his stay, pointing to judicial reform, fighting organised crime and strengthening the economy as three priority areas.

To wage an effective battle against organised crime and corruption, Albania needs a "powerful and independent judiciary" capable of enforcing the law and punishing offenders, Barroso said.

Albania must also liberalise its economy to absorb foreign investments and encourage competitiveness, he said.

During Saturday's joint press conference, Berisha said the government and other state institutions are working to meet EU standards, strengthen the economy, build democratic institutions, fight corruption and crime, and raise standards of living.

These are "the main conditions for improving Albania's situation", Berisha said.