NATO members 27 and 28 -- Albania and Croatia

23/03/2009

It has been a long road of reforms and challenges, but Albania and Croatia are on course to join NATO next month. For both countries burdened by transition problems and difficulties, this is a huge step forward and the achieved strategic goal they longed for.

By Natasa Radic and Manjola Hala for Southeast European Times in Zagreb and Tirana -- 23/03/09

The countries are expected to join the Alliance at the summit in Strasbourg-Kehl next week. [NATO]

Albania and Croatia are expected to become NATO's 27th and 28th members at the Alliance summit next week. The meeting -- which will mark the bloc's 60th anniversary -- will be held in Strasbourg-Kehl on April 3rd and 4th.

Croatia's delegation in Strasbourg and Kehl will be led by Croatian President Stipe Mesic and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader. Albania will be represented by President Bamir Topi and Prime Minster Sali Berisha. US President Barack Obama is also expected to attend.

In 2003, Albania, Croatia and Macedonia launched a common initiative called the Adriatic Charter Group, encouraged by the United States. However, Macedonia was blocked from joining the Alliance in 2008 when Greece vetoed the country's accession progress due to the ongoing name dispute.

Both Croatia and Albania, however, have made great strides on their path towards Alliance accession. The countries set their top priorities to meet democratic standards, reduce corruption and fight organised crime, implement judicial reform, improve public administration and promote neighbourly relations.

NATO member countries monitor the envisaged reforms and evaluate their implementation.

Croatia entered NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme in 2000, kicking off its accession process. In May 2002, the country received an invitation to join NATO’s Membership Action Plan (MAP), confirming the Alliance's "open door" policy. The fulfillment of membership criteria was, at that point, no longer the responsibility of just the defence and foreign affairs ministries.

Both Croatian and Albanian troops are serving in the NATO-backed mission in Afghanistan. [Getty Images]

Pursuant to its MAP obligation, in October 2002 the government adopted the first Annual National Programme 2002/2003 which envisioned objectives and detailed the steps to keep the country on the path towards NATO membership.

Croatia has been involved in NATO-led operations, including KFOR and the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, since 2003. In 2007, the Alliance organised a military exercise in Croatia -- the first time such an event was held in a non-member country.

The country received a formal invitation to join NATO at the Alliance's 2008 summit in Bucharest.

Croatian officials consider NATO membership to be one of the most important goals in the nation's history. According to the polls, the number of NATO supporters has remained steady over the years between 55% and 60%.

On March 18th, the government submitted the NATO entry treaty to parliament for ratification. The majority of Alliance members have ratified the document, and the rest are expected to follow suit soon, clearing the way for the country's accession.

However, Croatia could still face some hurdles. The main obstacle remains neighbouring Slovenia and the 17-year-old dispute over the countries' maritime borders. Slovenian lawmakers ratified the treaty for Croatia's membership on February 9th, but they have yet to submit it to the United States, amid efforts by the opposition Slovenian People's Party to hold a referendum on Croatia's NATO accession.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration expects that the Portuguese Republic and the Republic of Slovenia will [ratify the treaty] soon, and that Croatia will participate in the forthcoming NATO summit in April as a full-fledged member," ministry spokesman Mario Dragun said.

A billboard in Tirana reads "Albania in NATO" after the country received an invitation to join the Alliance at last year's summit in Bucharest. [Getty Images]

Albania, which also received a formal invitation at last year's NATO summit, has progressed a bit more slowly. The country joined the North Atlantic Co-operation Council in 1992, and became a PfP member in 1994.

Soon after embracing the PfP initiative, Albania presented a plan for military co-operation and reforms. The country has developed a small and well-trained 16,000-troop army that is in line with the Alliance requirements.

Albanian troops have also participated in different NATO-led operations, with more than 3,300 troops in different missions since 1996. Albanian forces have participated in the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia, ISAF in Afghanistan and the mission led by the US coalition in Iraq.

Since the fall of Communism in the country, the country has made joining the Alliance one of its top priorities. "Any reform and any price" is the common position of the government since the 1990s -- one of the few issues that have brought a consensus among political spectrums in the country.

The solidarity of the main political parties shown in the process of both the electoral reform, which ended at the beginning of this year, and the ongoing process of judicial reforms, is a clear sign that the political class strives to build a functional democracy with independent institutons.

But most importantly, NATO accession has wide support from the Albanian population. Official polls say that 94% of Albanians support Alliance membership. Many see entering the NATO structure as a medium to improve the country's standing in the world.