Albania

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele reiterated on Tuesday (March 30th) his concerns about the ongoing political stalemate in Albania. The deadlock is between the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the opposition Socialist Party (SP). “I expressed concern about the stability of democratic institutions and the lack of political dialogue in …

The rapporteur for Albania in the European Parliament’s (EP) Foreign Affairs Commission, Nikolaos Chountis, said on Monday (March 29th) that there are no barriers preventing the country from EU visa liberalisation. During a visit to Tirana, officials briefed Chountis on progress made on basic

Albanian Foreign Minister Ilir Meta said that Albania will continue to cooperate with Serbia for the sake of the Albanians in the Preševo Valley. He said that Tirana will cooperate with Belgrade to improve on the rights and integration of Albanians in southern Serbia. Meta said that policies of good …

The European Commission (EC) will publish a report on April 15th regarding Albania’s progress in meeting criteria for EU visa liberalisation. A similar evaluation will be made for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH); a high-ranking EC official was quoted as saying on Wednesday (March 24th). Brussels has reportedly urged officials in …

The NATO-led intervention against Slobodan Milosevic’s regime and the then Serbian army was a historic decision, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said. He stressed that NATO’s intervention in 1999 was a necessary move as it protected the rights and the freedoms of Albanians in Kosovo.

Albanian President Bamir Topi said on Monday (March 22nd) that by removing existing visa barriers, Albania will be brought closer to the EU. Albania is undertaking a series of reforms, especially in its justice system, Topi said after meeting in Tirana with Eduard Kukan, head of the European Parliament (EP) …

Rapporteur for Albania Tanja Fajon said the European Parliament (EP) will be briefed on Tirana’s EU visa liberalisation process next month. As for the political stalemate that has slowed EU-related reforms, Fajon urged the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition Socialist Party on Sunday (March 21st) to stop damaging Albania’s …

Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said on Friday (March 19th) that the EU expects Kosovo to step up efforts to fight crime and corruption and strengthen the rule of law. After talks with Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and President Fatmir Sejdiu in Pristina, Fuele stressed the importance of guaranteeing political stability …

The Albanian government completed nine more chapters of the European Commission’s wide-ranging questionnaire Monday (March 15th), a requirement for Albania’s application for EU candidate status to be considered. This makes a total of 30 chapters completed, with five more to go. The government hopes to wrap those up by the …

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele is set to begin his first Western Balkans tour on Wednesday, with scheduled stops in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo.