Izvor: N1 televizija, 22.Jun.2018, 14:27 (ažurirano 02.Apr.2020.)
Dutch Parliament vetoes accession talks with Albania
The Netherlands blocked on Friday the opening of the European Union accession talks with Albania, saying the country has done little in fighting corruption, a Brussels based website Euractiv said.
The EU summit on June 28-29 should decide to open negotiations with Macedonia and Albania, but since all decisions concerning the process are brought unanimously, any member country can block it,
The EU summit is expected to decide to start negotiations with Macedonia after >> Pročitaj celu vest na sajtu N1 televizija << the country solved its long-standing name dispute with Greece.
But Austria could block the decision since Greece must send a formal letter, saying that it approves the opening of EU accession talks and NATO membership for its neighbour which Athens apparently has not done yet.
However, the start of negotiations with Albania is unlikely after a large majority in the Dutch parliament banned the move, though some parliamentarians acknowledged minor improvements.
“Yes, there is progress in Albania, for example, in reforming the judiciary. Judges are, for example, screened. But of the 800 judges, only ten have been tested. Then you cannot say: the country is ready for negotiations on accession,” Martijn van Helvert, of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party, said.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama launched a series of reforms in 2017, to pave the way towards EU membership.
The country has inserted an international monitoring operation in its constitution, made up of retired judges and prosecutors from the EU member states, who are assisting their Albanian colleagues in vetting the country’s judges.
An EU diplomat told Euroactiv.com on Thursday he was cautious about the results of the General Affairs Council, which would discuss this accession process next Tuesday and about the outcome of the same talks at the summit on June 28-29 June.
He added, “the situation is very dynamic”. However, he said that the climate wasn’t hostile. “If I compared it to sports games, it is rather a basketball than rugby,” he said.
