TIRANA, May 28 /ATA/ – According to MEP Kati Piri and PvdA party leader Lodewijk Asscher, Albania is not ready for EU membership. That is correct, Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama says. However, the accession negotiations are ‘an impetus for Albania to work even harder and deliver more reform accomplishments.”
“The Balkan countries are not ready for the EU,” Lodewijk Asscher and Kati Piri wrote on the Dutch daily newspaper de Volkskrant on May 15. Then they sketch a long list of problems to support their argument. “
“It is needless to say this. We agree: Albania is indeed not yet ready to be admitted to the European Union. This can only be considered if we fully meet the strict criteria for membership,” PM Rama said.
The conclusion drawn by Asscher and Piri is not only premature, but it also goes beyond its substance. Becoming a member of the European Union is not an issue at the moment. Our vision of the future of Albania is that the journey is much more important than the destination. What we really want is what every country wants: sustainable peace, stability and prosperity for our people.
The recent European Commission’s recommendation to start accession negotiations with Albania does not mean that Albania will automatically become a member, but it is a new and even a more severe reforms therapy and harder work to deliver reform results. By entering into negotiations, Albania has a better position to implement the reform process in the country, whereas the Netherlands and the rest of the EU will have better legal and political control over this process.
We are convinced that the rigorous, cumbersome and lengthy process that precedes a potential accession to the European Union is the best way to deliver the required results: first and foremost for the young generation of our country and secondly, somewhere in the future, to get green light for membership. By working together, in Albania, in the region and our friends in Europe, and to ensure that we can implement the necessary far-reaching reforms in the areas of public administration, the rule of law, corruption, human rights and organized crime. In other words, it is precisely the long and strict EU accession process which drives reforms forwardthat Asscher and Piri want to see!
We understand the concerns of EU member states. And we accept the Netherlands’ strict and fair position. So let there be no misunderstanding about it: we take the accession process completely seriously. Our goal is 100 percent compliance. And not because this is required, but also especially because we believe we owe this to the next generations of Albanians.
I would also urge Mr. Asscher and his colleagues – on behalf of all the citizens of Albania who are willing to work their way out and to make the necessary sacrifices on the path to the future – do not just be strict, but also fair. We have already embarked on unprecedented EU-related reforms. It is about facts and proof of hard work. By refusing us the prescription of the therapy that the accession negotiations are for us, the process is neither better nor fairer. Because no matter how strong the ambition is, we cannot do it alone. Let’s take this journey united as much as possible and give it the best chance for success, not only for the benefit of Albania, but also for the benefit of Europe.
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