Albania may be the next state to join the European Union (EU) and thus replace Great Britain after Brexit. Brussels insists that Albania has "continued support," British Express writes.
According to the British newspaper, Albania is a formal candidate for EU membership, but the process has slowed down by some states that do not want to allow new members to this organization. Further, the British Express writes that Albania gained candidate status in 2014, but then failed to meet certain conditions for membership. The country now turned to ballot boxes at a historic election.
Jean Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, said that the vote in these elections shows that the Albanian government has a "clear mandate" to continue the necessary reforms for membership. More than 90 percent of Albanians support EU membership. In a letter to Prime Minister Edi Rama, Juncker writes: "I welcome the fact that after the election, you are approaching the opposition, emphasizing the need to overcome the differences within the party and highlighting the common challenges that Albania is facing."Juncker talks about Albania as an important partner for the EU and the will to continue its close co-operation. He added that "concrete efforts" would be needed to send reform ahead in the corrupt justice system. The growing problems with EU relations are not limited to the departure of the UK. Juncker's comments came just months after he warned instability in the Balkan states. Last month he told US Vice President Mike Pence: "If we leave these states alone - Bosnia, the Republic of Serbia, Macedonia, Albania - all these states will have a war again."
The poor country is one of the poorest countries in Europe and suffers from high unemployment rates with the benefit system that benefits up to just 780 pounds a year, compared to 26,000 in Britain, British Express writes. The European Parliament has twice rejected Albania's full membership and warned government leaders that the 2017 parliamentary elections should be free and fair before the accession negotiations begin again. The article ends with a description of the parties participating in the Albanian elections, underlining the fact that the two main parties, the SP and the DP, have campaigned with a ticket to their country's EU membership./Oculus News