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Rama: Right now there are no negotiations for EU membership and it's Bulgaria's fault!

2022-06-15 10:23:34Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Rama: Right now there are no negotiations for EU membership and it's
Edi Rama

Albania seems to have lost hope of opening EU membership negotiations.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said he did not expect an EU summit next week to pave the way for the country to start membership talks, and blamed Bulgaria.

All EU governments agreed to give the green light to Albania and Northern Macedonia in March 2020 to start membership talks. But negotiations have not yet begun as Bulgaria insisted it wanted concessions from northern Macedonia on bilateral disputes affecting language, history and identity.

Although the Sofia blockade only applies to northern Macedonia, the EU has favored treating Albania and northern Macedonia's membership bids together - so Albania is in fact blocked as well.

The plight of the Western Balkan countries is a timely warning about the troubles of EU accession for Ukraine, which is pushing in the middle of Russia's war to become a candidate for EU membership at next week's summit. next. The EU granted that status to Northern Macedonia in 2005 and Albania in 2014, however it has not even managed to start talks with any country.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Bulgaria last week in a bid to overcome the Sofia blockade ahead of the next summit in Brussels, which takes place on Thursday and Friday next week. But in an interview with POLITICO, Rama made it clear that he was pessimistic.

"I have no expectations. I think nothing will happen. "Albania and Northern Macedonia will not officially open talks on membership," he said, sitting in a brown leather armchair in his Tirana office.

Asked if any EU leaders had signaled that talks could begin soon, Rama replied: "What signals can they give? It is not about them. Again, it is about Bulgaria. Everyone agrees, everyone supports, everyone thinks this should happen, and it should have already happened. "But their maneuver border is limited by Bulgaria."

Rama, 57, a former basketball player and painter - who has covered the walls of his office with his colorful works - said he did not expect Bulgarian leaders to change their position after they had made the dispute over an issue. so large that it was very difficult to retreat.

"It's a spiral. They have entered a spiral. And from this spiral, it is very, very difficult to get out ", declared Rama, who will take part in a meeting of the leaders of the Western Balkans and the EU in Brussels before the summit.

Bulgarian officials have defended their stance, insisting they are simply urging northern Macedonia to abide by previous commitments and seek to protect the rights of Bulgarians in the country.

Northern Macedonia, for its part, has stated that it is making good faith efforts to engage with Sofia, and stressed that a bilateral dispute should not hinder the start of talks between the EU and a potential member.

Rama confirmed that if there is no progress this month, he will demand that Albania's membership bid be treated separately from that of northern Macedonia - a step the EU has so far been reluctant to take, with officials arguing that it would be more good for regional stability if the two neighbors could progress together.

"If nothing happens in June, we will seek to separate from this couple lost in translation," Rama said. "I am confident that this is what we have to do, then whether [EU leaders] will agree or not, we will see."

Macron support

The Albanian leader also said he supports French President Emmanuel Macron's idea of ​​a European Political Community - an organization that would be open to both EU and non-EU members.

"I think he is right. This should have been done a long time ago… because this is visionary ", said Rama, while he refused to go into details about the form that the community should take.

"This can be discussed, but in principle, having a political community that is organized in different ways… is very important and is beyond the European Union we have today… which is clearly not able to face the challenges of the time that "they are ahead," he said.

Macron defined his plan in part as a response to the war in Ukraine, suggesting that the proposed community would be a faster way for Kiev to integrate into European political structures than the lengthy EU accession process.

Russia's war has also highlighted divisions in the Western Balkans. Some countries - like Albania - have followed the EU in imposing sanctions on Russia, while others - like Serbia - have not.

Although Serbia and Albania have often been at loggerheads over the decades, Rama prayed for understanding of Belgrade's position.

"You have to understand that Serbia is in a very different position from many others, because of its history, because of its special ties with Russia," he said.

He said he believed Serbia should impose sanctions over time, but warned against pushing Belgrade, which is heavily dependent on Moscow for energy supplies, to do so very quickly.

"Asking them to go there, now, and across the range, is virtually impossible. It's suicidal for their economy," he said.

Excessive Western pressure on Serbia could be detrimental to the stability of the Western Balkans region, Rama warned.

"Sometimes we have to be patient with others and understand what is happening, otherwise we can not keep this community together for higher and better goals," he said.

"I think Serbia is on the right track. Of course, not with the speed we can like, we can wish. "But believe me, the other scenarios are really very bad for everyone and especially for this region", said Rama./ politico.al


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