Leickert: Albanians Welcome to EU

In an interview for the DW, Leickert said Albanians are well received in the EU.

Leickert expressed concern that the domestic political situation is not democratic. Referring here to abandon parliament by the opposition and failure to function, the Constitutional Court.

Deutsche Welle: Mrs. Leickert, finally the CDU parliamentary group. The CSU gave the green light for opening negotiations, though many conditions were set for Albania. How should we understand these conditions?

Katja Leickert: We've been consulting a lot in the German Bundestag. For Northern Macedonia, the issue is relatively clear. Northern Macedonia has developed very positively, especially as regards resolving the name dispute issue. With Albania, of course, we got too much. We know that the domestic political situation is not democratic in our own sense. The opposition has abandoned parliament, the Constitutional Court is not functioning. We know there are still problems with organised crime and drug trafficking. All of this is, of course, things that are problematic and that we need to see closely. But we said yes, because we wanted to give Albanians the signal from the European Union that they are welcome in Europe and that this is their direction. Many Albanians are leaving the country because they do not see prospects there. This cannot be the future of a country. It is a beautiful country and we want to accompany it on the road to democratisation and the EU.

You have a sister party in Albania, which, as you said, has left parliament. What are your expectations at the address of the Democratic Party?

I call on all democratic forces in Albania, both government and opposition to participate in democratic processes and to do so not outside parliament. This can't be the right way. In this direction, the appeal actually paved the way for all political forces in Albania to open accession negotiations.

Do Bundestag surrender with this step of responsibility to Brussels?

We give up no responsibility, on the contrary, believe that this process requires much more commitment, responsibility, and direction on our part.

How will Bundestag exert influence in the future?

There are 35 chapters that need to be negotiated gradually. And after each chapter, the European Union Council will be able to comply with the opening or closing chapters. And we, in Bundestag, will accompany this process and we will be very active.

Now that Germany has said its yes, the eyes are directed by French President Emmanuel Macron. What is the argument you would give to the French president for opening negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia?

We must see where the countries of the former Yugoslavia and Albania come from. In 1999 the final war in Kosovo ended there. These countries are still in the transformation phase. And they're almost in the middle of Europe. But it is not just geography that draws them to us; it is also the culture. It is in our interest to ensure stability there and that these countries really have a good perspective. I see this perspective well realised when they become members of the European Union in the long-term plan. And if we wait longer, then we are not known if we will have improvements in some countries. /DW