Debate: Report on Albania
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

From day one of this Commission, the Western Balkans have been our priority. This common work and commitment have brought progress. Since last year’s debate, there is a fundamental development: nearly a year ago we opened accession negotiations with Albania. This was a major step for the country and a clear recognition of Albania’s progress in advancing on its EU reform agenda. The screening process is well on track. Delegations from Albania come well prepared and actively engaged in the discussions. So the screening is proceeding smoothly and the Commission will present its screening report to the Council within days. We took positive note that the recent local elections on 14 May were held in calm and transparent manner on the day of the vote. According to the preliminary findings and conclusions of OSCE/ODIHR – the extended election observation mission – the local elections were well administered, competitive and held with the participation of the country’s key political forces. This is a significant improvement compared to the boycott that we have seen in 2019 at local elections. The Commission encourages the Albanian authorities to address all outstanding recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR, as well as from the Venice Commission in this regard. To this end, we call for constructive and inclusive political dialogue from all sides. The Commission concluded in last year’s report that the functioning of the judiciary in Albania is moderately prepared. Albania’s legislative and institutional framework on judiciary has a high level of alignment with the EU  On fundamental rights, Albania maintained overall a positive direction, with an overall robust legislative framework in place. However, there is still a need to continue progress when it comes to the implementation of the fundamental rights, especially in the areas of minority rights, property rights and media freedom, as well as the protection of personal data. Some progress has also been made on the fight against organised crime and the fight against corruption. The Specialised Structure for Anti-Corruption and Organised Crime, called the SPAK, delivered several important decisions affecting also high-level officials – including a former prosecutor general – and we expect continued progress in developing a strong track record on final convictions in corruption cases, notably at high level and in organised crime cases. Further, let me again commend Albania’s continued alignment with the EU’s restrictive measures and sanctions against Russia, maintaining the 100% alignment to our common foreign and security policy. Albania continues to use its ongoing term in the UN Security Council to respond to the crises along like-minded countries. This proves that Albania has shown its determination to advance on the EU path and is a reliable partner. The European Union has been the most important partner of Albania. Albania has received continuous financial support, with the aim to boost its resilience, including through the Economic and Investment Plan and, lately, through our energy support package. Allow me a short update on this one, the energy support package. Between February and May this year, we have disbursed 90% of the EUR 500 million budget support to mitigate the increase of energy costs, both for small and medium-sized enterprises and also to vulnerable households in the Western Balkans. In this context, Albania received EUR 72 million this spring to subsidise energy prices for households and for SMEs, and to provide financial aid to vulnerable persons and to diversify its energy sources through new wind and solar investments. Albania has come a long way on its path towards the European Union, showing persistence in pursuing difficult reforms in the interests of the Albanian people. We would like to see the country entering the next phase of the accession process. Notably, we would like to have the next intergovernmental conference to open the first cluster on fundamentals still this year.