Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs

Meeting of the coordinating structures at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs with line ministries: Next phase of the accession process for Albania, steps and challenges ahead”

 

Dear Speaker of Parliament,

Dear Prime Minister,

Dear ladies and gentlemen and the ambassadors,

 

This is a very important moment for Albania and for our neighbour but at the same time I think it is an important moment for the future of the European project itself. We are just a few hours after the decision-making of member states of the European Union that decided to give a positive answer to the recommendation of the European Commission to launch accession negotiations with Albania. We think that this is the first most important message that comes from the EU member states. A second most important moment that needs to be highlighted is the clear calendar, specifically highlighted by member states, that is the preparatory work that is expected from us, in cooperation with the Commission from this moment up to June 2019 and on. The intermediary steps that have been undertaken by other states before us and the instruments that will be given to Albania for further continuing the process of accession negotiations.

There are several unknown elements to the public opinion these days, related to the Council’s assessment of the trajectory of the rule of law, mainly justice reform, considered as a model to be followed by other countries that are in the negotiation process or even by EU member states. The confirmation by the member states in a very difficult moment for Europe, of 100% alignment of our foreign policy to the foreign policy of the European Union, as well as the dynamic and constructive role of Albania in the region. Certainly, the good neighbourly relations, starting from our neighbour Greece and others, has been underlined in the report of the European Commission and in the conclusions of the Council of the EU; also the reforms in the field of economy, competitiveness, improvement of business climate which are again related to the field of justice in Albania. What is even more important is that the Council has not identified any new condition for Albania but it has instead outlined the five key priorities that are going to be present throughout the EU integration process.

However, we are here today because we have a lot of work awaiting for us in the future and this is the reason we decided to have here first and foremost the nucleolus of the civil servants, as coordinating structure located here at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and key actors in other state institutions, to thank them for all the contribution they have dedicated to this process and we are here to solve out our joint challenges that we have to be start addressing immediately.

There are two clear processes in front of us. The first being the deepening of reforms based in detailing the five key priorities that have actually been provided by the Council of EU and on the other hand we have to enforce our human and administrative infrastructure in service of the opening accession negotiations.

There are four major elements that I wish to underline and share with you today. The first being the consolidation of the coordination structure here at Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, so together with the new Deputy Minister, Genti, I am quite confident that thanks to the dedication, his passion and knowledge in this field and with the support of the Prime Minister as well, in the coming days we will shortly be able to submit an ambitious proposal based on the practice of the countries in the region, which it is going to serve as the nucleus of the secretariat for the future negotiating team. We have learnt some lessons as a matter of fact, we cannot say that we are 100% ready but together with the EU Commission we have come to understand that we have limitation, we lack information and expertise. We are very grateful to the EU Delegation, to SMEI expertise with whom we have come up with a strategic concept on how we are going to approach the negotiating table for membership. Serbia has done this one year after the negotiation process with EU had started and Montenegro started this process at the moment when the membership talks were open. Thus, I think we are lucky up to a certain point as we have this time gap which will give us the opportunity to find and all the alternatives and have the best decision in this regard. Here, I wish to thank all the civil servants that are part of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs who have given a huge contribution to this process.

The second issue that we will have to work upon is the strengthening of the coordination mechanism, not simply at the government level that is chaired by the Prime Minister but also the other structures such as the Parliament structures, because the National Committee of European Integration, the Parliamentary Committee of foreign affairs and the Parliamentary Committee of European integration are there, as well as other independent institutions. We have a good cooperation with them but I think we will have to raise that to a higher level, and to also consolidate the nucleuses that are part of the line ministries, who as a matter of fact outlived the political waves of more than 20 years.

Thirdly, there is a need for a versatile cooperation with the EU Commission and its member states in this process because we have come to understand that no matter if we accept it or not, this process is an intergovernmental process. Although we try to do the homework given by the EU Commission, at the end of the day member states have their own dynamics, their own sensitivities and in a way or another they are the decision makers in this process. Therefore is not enough to strengthen the partnership with the Commission but also to strengthen the partnership with the member states of the EU. In this regard, part of this strategic document is our platform to strengthen first and foremost our mission in the EU which is a similar practice and which is something that has happened with all the member states of the EU, be it in human resources, infrastructure, and financial means as well, but also the embassies and our missions in the key countries of the EU and elsewhere because in the course of this process we have come to understand that multilateral bodies such as the UN, OSCE, NATO and others have an influence in improving the communication with the member states.

In this regard, I wish to particularly thank four persons who are here with us today: Suela, our Ambassador to the EU, with whom not only this ministry but also other institutional bodies of the country have had an ongoing cooperation on this process; Dritan, our Ambassador in Paris, with whom we have exchanged so many opinions and heated debates at times, but this has always been for the sake of improving our presence in France and to make France understand our reforms, so I have to thank him from my heart; Adia, who works in in the country I keep in my heart, but as Dewi knows the Netherlands has still a slight different approach for the process and about the future of the European Union itself. However, we know that with Adia in the Netherlands, we have managed to have a better communication with all the interlocutors there; Artur in Germany, a crucial country, and thanks to the very good work we have had swift cooperation with the Bundestag and other structures that shape public opinion in Germany. So it is our responsibility to extend our accumulated practice and to improve the limitations we have identified in the work of every one of us, as our road is not easy but it is not impossible either so it is important to improve it.

The fourth element is the partnership with civil society organizations and interest groups. The Prime Minister has often highlighted that this is not a government process only, this is not something that is related only to the government machinery but it is instead a process that requires participation of politics, of civil society organizations, of investors and academia as well because at the end of the day they are going to be the major protagonists of this major change. We have drafted a platform during the Europe Week, in cooperation with the EU Delegation in Albania, we have made it public and we are on a consultation process with several civil society stakeholders and we wish and think that we will have the opportunity and the best model to channel and to reflect their opinions on this process.

The last but not the least is to express my heartfelt “thank you” for our friends. At my capacity as the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, I wish to thank all the member states with no exception at all, staring from the countries that were front runners for opening negotiations immediately up to the countries that due to their internal developments needed more time to take such a decision. It’s not a secret to say that I had a telephone call with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands yesterday, and it was a very fruitful phone call as we identified a calendar of  in-depth cooperation during this year, not focusing only on Dutch programs in Albania or the economic presence of the Netherlands in Albania but also on better communicating Albania’s achievements to the Netherlands and to strengthen the cooperation particularly the law enforcement agencies. I wish to thank the European Commission, starting from President Junker for the visit he had in Western Balkans, Frederica and Johannes for being dear friends of Albania in the EU Integration process and Romana with her staff here at the EU delegation and the EU assistance in all the line ministers or institutions because we know that when we prepare those voluminous documents without the assistance of the EU tax payers, this process could not be complete.

A couple of days ago the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of our neighbour which is something that I wish to highlight as well. In this process I have not been surprised at all but I have actually been very happy that our neighbours have been the most devoted advocates of Albania or the most devoted supporters of Skopie or what is going to be called in the near future as Northern Macedonia. This is a signal for the EU that our region is getting modernized and transforming from enemies of the past to real neighbours, and I believe that it is worth continuing to invest in this process. Third, I wish to thank the Bulgarian Presidency. It has not been simple for them and it has neither been simple for us as well to put the Western Balkans enlargement process again in the agenda and in the decision making table of the EU. It has not been simple for the Commission to present the enlargement strategy which caused some troubles for us and for the member states as well, but then at the end of the process we had a product and some major outcomes. Given the fact that we are starting a huge amount of work, I wish to thank the Austrian presidency that is a friend of Albania and a friend of the region. We often hear people say that the capital of Western Balkans is Vienna, therefore I really hope that in the sixth months of the Austrian Presidency, together with the EU Commission itself, we can both us and our neighbour can make progress through concrete steps in this analytical process, which is not going to be an easy process but it is going to be a further process of the Albanian social and institutional transformation.

So thank you very much to all of you and now without further due, allow me to give the floor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Mr. Edi Rama.