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Gonzato: Albania must accelerate reforms to benefit from EU funds

2025-03-22 08:20:48Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

 

Gonzato: Albania must accelerate reforms to benefit from EU funds
Silvio Gonzato

 

The European Union Ambassador to Albania, Silvio Gonzato, shares in a special interview with Monitor his vision for Albania's EU integration process, the challenges that need to be addressed, and the EU's support to accelerate this journey.

He emphasizes the importance of reforms in the rule of law, the fight against corruption, and approximation with European standards as key factors for advancing negotiations.

"Albania has a historic opportunity to achieve. In the current turbulent geopolitical context, EU enlargement has never been more important for the EU and for Albania. As Commissioner Marta Kos made clear during her visit to Albania last week, we support Albania's ambitions to conclude membership negotiations by the end of 2027.

The prospect of EU membership is real and the EU Delegation in Tirana is fully mobilized to support Albania on this journey. However, enlargement remains a merit-based process.

This means that Albania will need to further intensify the pace of EU-oriented reforms, starting with the rule of law, the effective fight against corruption and organized crime, and the promotion of fundamental rights, including media freedom, property rights, and minorities.

In the economic field, Albania needs to accelerate preparations to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the EU. With the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, the EU aims to give a major boost towards closing the economic convergence gap between the EU and the Western Balkans.

Finally, a major challenge for Albania is to align with EU standards in all areas covered by EU law. This requires not only changes in laws, but also administrative capacities, budgets, and investments.

Albania has already achieved significant steps in recent months. In October 2024, we opened negotiations on Chapter 1, the so-called “Foundations” of the accession process, which include the rule of law, fundamental rights, public administration reform and economic criteria.

Progress in these key areas will determine the overall pace of the negotiations. In December 2024, we opened talks on Group Chapter 6, which covers the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, as well as trade policy.

Albania achieved this, while continuing to be a reliable security partner for the EU on the global stage, strongly aligned with the EU in the current unstable geopolitical context. And we are now discussing the opening of other group chapters, which I hope will happen in the coming months.

Let me add two more important elements. First, the membership process is not a “box-filling exercise”;

Albania will need to demonstrate that reforms are being implemented, that they are sustainable and that long-term administrative capacity is being built. The EU looks at the bigger picture: how are Albania's democratic institutions functioning? Are policy initiatives in line with EU membership commitments?

Second, as negotiations accelerate, it is even more important for the government to establish effective mechanisms to communicate, consult, and take into account the views and interests of civil society, business, and other societal actors.

This is not only a matter of transparency and accountability, but also of access to the right expertise. Previous enlargement processes have shown that governments need the expertise of non-state actors to understand the impact of harmonization with the EU acquis in different sectors.

Ambassador Gonzato also speaks about the EU Integration Support Project (EUIS), a 7.2 million euro initiative that aims to assist Albania in the negotiation process and legal approximation with the EU.

The EU launched this project to support Albania in the EU accession negotiation process in a targeted manner. The project will provide expertise through local and international experts to support Albania in coordinating the negotiation process and harmonizing national legislation with EU legislation in all 35 negotiation chapters.

The project will help Albania to benefit from all available pre-accession opportunities, such as participation in EU programs and various EU structures, even before it officially becomes an EU member state.

We also want to prepare and train public administration staff to ensure that Albanian institutions are fully prepared to take on the responsibilities of EU membership.

Finally, as Albania approaches full EU membership, both the government and the EU in Albania must ensure that the process is communicated to citizens in a transparent and understandable manner.

Through the EUIS project, we will support efforts to strengthen communication and transparency between government and non-state actors.

It highlights the success of EU-funded projects in Albania, including territorial cooperation programs and investments in infrastructure, innovation and sustainable development.

In a broader context, the Ambassador addresses Albania's role in the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, highlighting the reforms needed to attract foreign investment and improve the business climate.

The EU's €6 billion Growth Plan for the Western Balkans is a major initiative. It has the potential to bring around €1 billion to Albania in the form of grants and infrastructure investments. Its success depends on each country's commitment to implementing the necessary reforms, which are included in the National Reform Agendas.

In the case of Albania, the Reform Agenda, adopted by the Albanian government in October 2024, includes key steps to improve the business climate.

I strongly believe that many of the reforms outlined will have a direct impact on business development in Albania.

For example, foreign investors cite uncertainty over property rights as the main obstacles, but also other problems such as widespread informality, weaknesses in governance and the rule of law, the large gap in labor market participation, and the lack of infrastructure.

The key principle, in my opinion, is to create a favorable environment for domestic and foreign investors. Businesses need to feel confident that Albania offers a stable, predictable and fair business environment, supported by clear and transparent rules and laws. Ensuring this stability is essential to attract long-term and sustainable investments.

He highlights sectors with great potential for EU investment, such as renewable energy, tourism and technology. Mr. Gonzato also shares his perspective on Albania's role on the international stage, appreciating its contribution to multilateral organizations and its engagement as a reliable partner of the EU in geopolitical issues.

Firstly, let me emphasize that the EU is the largest donor, the main trading partner covering 72% of Albanian exports and 51% of imports in Albania, as well as the leader of Foreign Direct Investment in the country, with more than 55% of their total inflows for the period January-September 2024.

That said, there is a high potential for more investment in Albania. The country has great potential in the energy sector, especially in renewable energy, where European investors can play a key role.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors and a major contributor to the Albanian economy. The EU has extensive expertise in sustainable tourism development that it can offer to Albania.

With a young and dynamic workforce, Albania is well positioned to become a hub for digital innovation, software development and IT services, becoming an attractive destination for European companies in the technology sector.

There is growing potential in the processing industry and industrial production, especially as Albania further integrates into European supply chains.

However, further capital and technological investments are needed.

Each of these sectors represents an opportunity to deepen economic ties between Albania and the EU, bringing investment, innovation and jobs to the country.

Albania's EU membership prospects and increased regional cooperation are important factors for European investors. Potential new investors should see Albania as an economy interconnected with other Western Balkan markets, as well as with a clear perspective of integration into the EU and its Common Market.

In this context, large-scale investments in improving infrastructure become essential for increasing security, improving export efficiency and strengthening regional connections. The EU Growth Facility for the Western Balkans offers important new incentives in this regard.

On the 5th anniversary of SPAK's establishment, he also shows the main challenges SPAK faces and how it can be further supported by the EU.

SPAK faces challenges similar to those of its counterparts in EU member states, particularly in the complexity of investigations and the evolving nature of serious crimes.

Investigating corruption and organized crime networks is very complex and requires smooth and efficient coordination with many entities, including international and European partners.

It also requires strong analytical skills to effectively process large volumes of data, including financial data collected during investigations.

Serious crime is constantly evolving, requiring constant adaptation. Criminal networks increasingly exploit the dark web, and Artificial Intelligence is becoming a growing factor in illegal activities.

These developments highlight the need for continuous professional development for investigators, prosecutors and judges to ensure that they remain equipped to address new threats.

SPAK plays a key role in Albania's overall fight against corruption and organized crime. We remain committed to supporting its independence and effectiveness, by strengthening its operational capacities.

This includes the exchange of EU best practices, specialized training and mentoring of prosecutors in key areas such as Special Investigation Tools and data analysis.

We also actively promote the use of parallel financial investigations, which are essential tools in the fight against corruption and organized crime.

In the context of Albania's future EU membership, we also support SPAK's operational cooperation with EU Member States and EU entities, such as EUROPOL, EUROJUST, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and OLAF.

Furthermore, we support its participation in EU Joint Investigation Teams and initiatives such as the European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), which fosters structured and multidisciplinary cooperation to combat serious international crime.

Taken with abbreviations from monitor.al


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