Albania applies for EU membership

Apr 28, 2009, 16:53 GMT

Prague - Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha submitted Tuesday his country's application for membership in the European Union, an initial step on the Balkan state's long journey to the 27- member bloc which is already grappling with enlargement fatigue.

Berisha handed over the application to outgoing Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country chairs the EU until June 30.

'This is an historic moment for my country,' Berisha told reporters before giving the application to his counterpart.

He called EU accession 'a dream project' for Albanians, of whom 96 per cent support the EU bid. 'That's my nation. Their syndrome is a passionate love for Europe,' Berisha said.

Albania had been one of the world's poorest countries when it shook off decades of communist rule in 1992, nearly three years after most of Eastern Europe. Berisha said that his country has since made 'a quantum leap' forward.

The Balkan country of 3.6 million joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on April 1. But despite political reforms and economic growth of recent years, the country remains troubled by widespread corruption, organized crime and power shortages.

Albania faced 'a great deal of work' before it could enter the EU, the outgoing Czech premier said.

While the EU repeatedly said that the Balkan countries should become its members, the bloc is in no rush to accept them.

The union has been grappling with enlargement fatigue after the big-bang expansion in 2004 and 2007, which saw 12 countries to enter the bloc. Further enlargement has been also complicated by the global economic crisis and EU's inability to reform its institutions.

The Czech Republic, which joined the EU five years ago, has strongly backed aspirations of Balkan countries such as Albania to enter the bloc.

But Prague's hesitance to approve the EU's reform Lisbon Treaty, stalled since Irish voters rejected it in a June 2008 referendum, has provided ammunition to members opposing the speedy integration of the Balkans.

Albania prefers its EU integration to move forward based on merits, not politics. 'Albania takes this moment as a great obligation and considers this a process which must be and will be totally performance-based,' Berisha said.

It was now up to Albania to make it to the next stage of the accession process, said Michael Leigh, a senior official for enlargement in EU's executive, the European Commission, who was also present at the ceremony.

'This means strengthening the rule of law. The holding of the parliamentary elections in June in a free and fair manner remains a key condition,' he said.

The Czech Republic's EU presidency is to pass Albania's membership request to the council of the EU members for consideration.

The body is then expected to ask the European Commission to assess whether Albania is ready for the next phase - to become a membership candidate.

The evaluation took 14 months for Croatia and 18 months for Macedonia. It is then up to the council to grant the candidate status and open accession talks.

Montenegro submitted its application in December but has yet to receive the candidate status. Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey are candidates but their road to the EU has been stalled, mostly over regional disputes with EU members.

Croatia's entry has been blocked by a border dispute with Slovenia. Macedonia faces hurdles from Greece, which wants the country to first change its name.

Turkey's accession is hampered by its refusal to recognize the Greek part of Cyprus, the Mediterranean island divided between its Turkish and Greek populations.