Klan News – Gjipali: When does Albania have a chance to join the EU? 2 September 2024

Asked on Klan News how likely it is that the Second Intergovernmental Conference will be held in early October due to the Greek veto, and whether this deadlock has been overcome, Gjipali stated that it remains to be seen what Greece’s position will be, as we do not have an official statement on whether there will be a withdrawal from the veto for the opening of negotiations. He emphasized that signals will come very soon, as this is a busy period with activities, including the expected annual report from the European Commission that evaluates all countries, including Albania, regarding the process and the next steps to be taken. Additionally, the Berlin Process Summit will be held in Berlin in October, and a new Commissioner for Enlargement will be appointed, which is of great importance for the entire process of countries that are on the path to membership. It remains to be seen how Greece will decide.
The convening of the Intergovernmental Conference could happen in one of these two scenarios: one is to hold the Conference by assessing the situation but without opening clusters, while the better option is the start of negotiations, which depends on the withdrawal of the Greek veto. It is still early to talk about a specific date for when membership might occur, as we do not have a critical mass of countries that are ready to join and to make a forecast to single out a date or to encourage countries that are lagging behind, as happened in 2004 during a larger enlargement when some countries that were not yet ready, like Slovakia, accelerated their reforms.
Albania and North Macedonia have not yet started negotiations, while Montenegro and Serbia, which are further along, have stalled in some specific areas. Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina are still far from the steps that would lead to membership. It is difficult to comment on precise deadlines, but 2030 is a realistic deadline if we have increased efforts from the countries and from the EU on the other side.
Regarding the Russia-Ukraine situation and the political stance of the Balkan countries, Gjipali stated that it is a credit to the Western Balkan countries, except for Serbia, that they have fully aligned with the EU’s foreign security policy, which shows coherence in decision-making and a European belonging of our societies. Concerning the ETIAS system, the EU has expressed its implementation since 2019, but due to objective reasons such as the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, etc., it has not been possible. It is nothing more than the systems that the USA or Canada apply; it is an online registration to request entry into the Schengen countries, where it is known that Albania enters without a visa in this area for a short period. The registration makes controls fewer because this system performs the filtering; for example, if there is a ban on entering one of the Schengen countries, the person is informed through the system.

Klan News – Gjipali: When does Albania have a chance to join the EU? 2 September 2024