Policy Study: 12 key priorities for Albania: Where do we stand?, October 2011

EMA has the pleasure to share with you the Policy Study-12 key priorities for Albania.

The EC Progress Report on Albania 2011 was the  incentive to prepare this policy brief, which announced  for the second time a negative assessment regarding  the readiness of the country to obtain the status of  EU candidate country. This assessment does not drop  unexpectedly out of a clear blue sky. Last year the EU  Commission published the Opinion on the Albania’s  Application for EU membership. In the Analytical  Report accompanying the Opinion, the EU Commission  scanned the Albanian readiness on meeting the  Copenhagen criteria by coming in conclusion that  Albania should fulfil the 12 key priorities identified by  the EC Opinion, before it receives the green light for  the status of EU candidate country and the opening of  accession talks.  In this framework, the policy brief provides a  comparative analysis concerning 12 key priorities  indentified a year ago by EC Opinion in the Analytical  Report 2010, and their scale of fulfilment in the Progress  Report of 2011. EMA strives to provide the audience  with a strict reflection of factual findings in two EC  documents. As it appears from this comparison, Albania  has not fully met any of these tasks.