National Convention on EU Integration – Assessment and Recommendations 2015-2016

EMA has the pleasure to share with you the publication of National Convention on EU Integration – Assessments and Recommendations 2015-2016.

Perceiving EU integration not as a mere institutional agenda, but as an ambitious development project being continuously determined from the whole society, the role of CSOs and citizens actively committed is crucial to promote European values and lay down strong fundaments for the EU Membership for Albania. To facilitate this process, an instrument successfully applied for the first time in Albania is the National Convention on EU Integration. Being a unique model developed by the Slovak Foreign Policy Association between 2003 –2007 in Slovakia, it was extended through the support of Slovakia´s bilateral development assistance (Slovak Aid) in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Ukraine and Moldova.

Through the National Convention of EU Integration in Albania, European Movement in Albania (EMA) in partnership with Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA), in continuous collaboration with key line ministries has set up and carried 4  Working Groups addressing the most challenging negotiation chapters with the EU: Judiciary and Fundamental Rights; Justice, Freedom and Security; Agriculture and Food Safety; and Environment.

This publication makes a valuable contribution to on-going discussions on national policy making on EU related issues, providing information on the implemented reforms, challenges in EU law approximation; and pointing out the promotion of cooperation of governmental and civil society sectors with the aim to strengthen capacities to cope with the EU accession criteria.   The first part of the publication presents the Assessment Reports carried out in the preparatory phase of NCEI by experts of each Working Group. The assessment reports evaluate in detail three dimensions of the topics and prioritized challenges of Chapters 17,23,24,and 27 of Albanian EU accession including: i) Policy and Strategies, ii) Legal framework in Albania and approximation with EU legislation;  iii) Institutional Framework and level of capacity preparedness of the country. The second essential part of the publication consists of the Set of Recommendations extracted during the 16 sessions of the Working Groups. These recommendations are a result of the coherent and continual thematically structured debate sessions among the representatives of national institutions, NGOs, business associations, academia and media.