ALBANIA: European Integration Takes More Than Attitude

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Alba Çela

TIRANA, Nov 9 2007 (IPS) - Albanians are among the most Euro-enthusiastic people in the Western Balkans, surveys show. But that does not mean they believe they will join the EU in a hurry.

As many as 93.8 percent want to join the European family, according to a study ‘Rethinking EU Integration: Albanian realities and perceptions 2007’ by the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS).

The AIIS has been gauging perceptions about the EU and the integration process for the last five years, and has found approval rates for Albania’s entry to the EU always above 80 percent.

The enthusiasm is fed in part by the growing number of European visitors who have been coming to Albania as it puts infrastructure and environment improvements in place to bring itself up to EU standards.

In 2005, the approval was 83.9 percent. In 2006 it jumped to 92.5 percent, following the signing of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU in July 2005. Such an agreement is a first step towards eventual membership.

“One of the most important conclusions of our study is that Albanians see the EU as their country’s most strategic partner,” AIIS executive director Albert Rakipi told IPS.

The AIIS study found internal nuances of attitude among the polled people. The business category seems to be more skeptical, and is concerned about the economic costs of accession and the opening of markets. But even so, the vast majority of businesses are positive about EU accession.

But though Albanians want to join the EU, their expectations are different. “One of the main findings of the survey is that despite the extremely high level of support for integration, Albanians have no illusions as to their country’s readiness to enter the EU,” Maklen Misha, director of research at AIIS told IPS. As many as 82.8 percent of the people polled said Albania is not ready to join the EU.

The majority of Albanians place their accession date no earlier than 2020. This reflects the pessimism expressed by every visiting EU representative.

Commissioner for education, training, culture and youth Jan Figel told the media on a visit to Tirana last month that Albania has made progress on its road to the EU, but that much remains to be done. “It is up to Albania to do its fundamental homework as it is your own country, and we can only support you all the way,” Figel said.

Aspirations for the EU have in the past been controversial. One of the most powerful slogans raised by Albanian protesters who challenged the communist regime in 1991 was, “We want Albania to be like Europe!”

Significant reforms are necessary before Albania can hope for EU membership. The government is trying to come to terms with a range of political and economic problems that impede the integration process, among them widespread corruption and an energy crisis.

“Albanians and people in the Balkans generally will benefit largely after integration, in terms of democratic stability, economic modernisation and social welfare,” Xavier Vidal-Folch, deputy editor of ‘El Pais’ told Albanian journalists at a training session in September.

“On the other side, they will have to sacrifice time and effort to convince the existing members of the added value. This should be done by the aspiring countries’ political class, intellectual elite and journalists.”

But the move to the EU gets more difficult with time. “The larger the EU gets, the harder it is going to be to make it larger. Members will seek guarantees that expansion will be for the better of the Union,” Vidal-Folch told IPS.

For most Albanians, entry in the EU means a ticket to free movement. But a first step has been taken with the signing of the visa facilitation and readmission agreements in Brussels Sep. 18. Meanwhile, Albanians remain keen on something they do not believe will happen in a hurry.