Date of release : 01-02-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : EU-Albania (Troika)

At the end of the EU-Albania Ministerial Troika, Luxembourg’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and President in Office of the Council of the European Union, Jean Asselborn, made the following statement:

“We are pleased to welcome Albania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. At our meeting we reviewed relations between the European Union and Albania and we exchanged views on the political situation in the region.

Regarding the first point, the EU reaffirmed that Albania’s integration into the EU remains one of its priorities. The perspective is clear: the opportunity offered should be seized.

As you know, we are now in the process of negotiating a stabilisation and association agreement with Albania. The EU has already had the occasion to state that the holding of legislative elections will be an important element in the finalization of the negotiations. From Tirana we expect these elections to meet international electoral standards.

However, this is not the only requirement. The EU also expects more concrete results in the fight against organised crime and corruption. Again, these are standards to be observed for any State that aspires to join the Union.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the situation with which all of us are faced is unambiguous: The EU’s doors are open, and Albania, just like the other countries in the western Balkan region, is welcome. But there is still more work to be done. I hope that we will be able to say that we have made considerable progress by the end of the Luxembourg presidency."