Albania outside the EU, Putin and Erdogan's plan!

The EU should understand that each delay in Albania's integration will realise the plans of Russia and Turkey. So the process should also begin in the meantime Albania to meet criteria in fighting corruption and organised crime

Alon Ben-Meir & Arbana Jarra

At the time Albania was expected to make considerable progress in starting accession negotiations with the European Union (BE), some member states are unwilling to support negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia.

France in particular argued that the EU should deepen integration among existing members and reform its unresolved decision-making processes before envisioning the rise of new countries.

Moreover, political corruption, organised crime and inequality, along with internal tensions caused by the main political parties in Albania, gave further objections to the EU's decision to postpone EU accession negotiations by October of this year.

In this way, the departure of Balkan countries from the EU gives more freedom to Russia and Turkey to establish themselves in the Balkans, as they have worked hard to strengthen their ties with the region. Both Erdogan and Putin hope to prevent Balkan integration into the EU by manipulating the largely corrupt political elites in these countries.

In May, the European Commission recommended that accession talks with Albania and Northern Macedonia begin as soon as possible, stating that the two countries have “made reforms”. But after a meeting in Luxembourg in mid-June, a minority of EU member states refused to support the commission's proposal to open talks.

Albania as a NATO member, which Transparency International values as one of Europe's most corrupt countries, has made limited progress in fighting corruption, including money laundering and bribery, despite the dismissal of corrupt judges and prosecutors. European ministers met in Luxembourg last year and agreed to open talks, but in June suddenly the decision has been postponed to start talks with the two countries.

Tens of thousands of protesters, led by the opposition in Albania, demanded Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation, throwing Molotov cocktails at his office's entry, calling for Rama to resign from alleged election fraud and corruption. Even though protesters favour EU accession, however, many EU nations see this political tension as a sign that Albania is not yet ready to join the EU.

The OSCE Ambassador to Albania, Bernd Borchardt, condemned the protests, declaring that “ ... fully condemned those who try to use violence as a short political route; they will fail “. Protesters protested in front of his residence, writing on the wall of residence “turp for Borchardt”.

Leaders of the main political parties are accusing each other of corruption, demanding the power to rule the country facing major problems. “Washington Post” days ago remind opposition leader Lulzim Basha, who called for protests and two other party officials that they were charged with illegal spending of about $650,000 linked to Russia through a lobbyist and a foreign company

Corruption in Albania is not a new phenomenon. Eight years ago, Ilir Meta, the current president, appeared in a video that was discovered in the media, discussing a bribe from a businessman in the amount of 700,000 euros with another former minister, Dritan Prifti. An earlier review of the video by British and American experts stated that the video tape was authentic, but the court in Albania had to ignore foreign expert estimates.

According to Albanian Foreign Minister Gent Cakaj, while prospects for opening accession talks may be influenced by the opposition's behaviour, however, this cannot and should not be considered a serious obstacle. “ ...] It is clear that the behaviour of the opposition negatively affects the dynamics of reforms (especially when it comes to judicial and electoral reform) in Albania, as the Commission's own Report noted; and it negatively affects our country's reputation. Therefore, Albania should be assessed on the basis of its visible progress and not on the power games of the opposition “.

Referring to Ilir Meta, who was elected president in 2017 with Rama's support, this IFsie said that “those who are trying to stop this process are wrong. They are playing with fire and burning themselves before the Law “, because Meta had supported their demand not to hold local elections.

Although protests and corruption claims are not directly linked to the EU, they damage the country's image before a decision by the European Union. Political tension in Albania is fueling those countries in the EU, which argue against Albania's accession. Meanwhile, the US and the EU have warned the opposition against inciting violence.

Enton Abilekaj, a journalist from Albania, says the international community supports the government and therefore protesters are reacting. The international community's “stances against extreme acts of opposition and in favour of partial elections on June 30th are dividing public opinion into another disagreement over the role of Western countries in Albania”, adding that “being stuck to this long wait for European integration, is a failure of the Albanian government to fight organised crime and corruption “.

The EU's focus in Albania has been to make progress in judicial and anti-corruption reforms. The reasons why the accession criteria were created by the EU in the first place relate directly to Albania's challenges in fighting corruption and organised crime. Integration could be delayed in the event of continuing political tension. According to European expert Epidamine Zeqo, Albanian leaders have the responsibility to convince the EU that they are willing to open talks and not miss this historic chance.

Although the EU is aware that Erdogan and Putin's goals are to cement their power in these countries, which directly challenges Western strategic interests and values, delaying this decision puts those countries at risk, as the delay only advances the strategic interests of two rivals in the Western Balkans-Russia and Turkey.

Turkey and Russia have targeted the Balkans in the past few years (which they consider as easy prey) in an effort to unite them in their areas of influence. They declare their political agenda by investing in large national projects strategically planned to have greater economic and political influence on the financial market and using the submissive politicians to make their bids.

While Putin does not hide his hostility towards the Western Alliance and tries to lower their interests wherever he can, Erdogan wants to have both ways. He wants to preserve Turkey's NATO membership and apparently still wants to join the EU. However, he seems willing to undermine the strategic interests of the EU and NATO in the Balkans by uniting Putin by instilling Turkey in Serbia only to serve Turkey's interests from his viewpoint.

France and the Netherlands are congregated when they suggest that the EU must first deepen integration among existing members, reform difficult decision-making processes and ensure that candidates like Albania deal with their political problems of corruption before increasing new members. However, it would be more strengthening to start accession talks by insisting that the Albanian government, during the negotiations process, should thoroughly clear its actions as a precondition for continued negotiations.

Despite the ongoing corruption, by restarting negotiations, the EU will reduce opportunities for Russia and Turkey, these countries that are seeking to further reinforce themselves in a country that is of important strategic interest to the EU.