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The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament voted with 66 votes in favor, 4 against and 3 abstentions Isabel Santos’s report on the European Commission’s assessment of Albania’s progress in European integration during 2021.
In the report, MEPs praise Albania’s unwavering commitment to European integration and express clear support for the country’s democratic transformation and aspiration for EU membership.
MEPs expressed regret over the failure to open delayed membership negotiations with Albania and northern Macedonia, stressing full solidarity with the citizens of these countries. This failure, according to them, undermines the public’s attitudes towards the EU and poses a serious risk to the EU enlargement policy as a whole.
MEPs stress that both countries have met the conditions set by the European Council. Appreciating Albania’s continuity as a credible and committed foreign policy partner, fully in line with EU foreign, security and defense policy, the Santos report calls on the EU to critically evaluate ” “Historically significant security implications for stability and unity on the European continent and in the Western Balkans in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine.” It urges member states to demonstrate European unity by formally launching membership negotiations with northern Macedonia and Albania, taking into account both the geopolitical implications of the decision and the fulfillment of official criteria by both countries.
The report reiterates that Albania’s EU membership depends on sustainable and irreversible reforms in key policy areas. MEPs call on Albania to continue and intensify its efforts to strengthen the functioning of the judiciary, to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and the economy. The country must also empower civil society, fight corruption and organized crime, ensure media freedom, and guarantee the protection of minority rights, including the LGBTQI community.
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