TIRANA (Albania), January 18 (SeeNews) – Albania should maintain the good momentum of last year to deliver tangible results in the reform agenda in light of the upcoming decision by the EU Council on opening accession negotiations with the country in June 2019, EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said.
“The justice reform continues to deliver results, and the institutional restructuring of the judiciary should be completed within the coming weeks,” Hahn said in a statement late on Thursday, after he met with Albania’s prime minister Edi Rama.
The fight against organised crime and the fight against corruption at all levels remain priorities in the EU-Albania relations, Hahn added.
The EU commissioner also expressed concern about the still high number of unfounded asylum applications from Albanian citizens in some EU member states.
“The underlying causes need to be addressed and the cooperation with the governments of the affected EU member states further intensified,” he noted.
Hahn reiterated that the strong commitment to the EU integration process by Edi Rama is key and that the constructive political dialogue between all political parties and the readiness to work together in the interest of all Albanian citizens is essential for the European future of the country.
“A cross-party agreement on electoral reform to address the recommendations from OSCE/ODIHR would be a good opportunity to show such readiness,” he said.
Albania was granted EU candidate status in 2014 and hopes to launch membership negotiations later this year.