In an interview with Gazeta Tema, EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn spoke about the June 25 elections and the prospects of opening EU accession negotiations under the next Rama government.
Commissioner Hahn asked Albanian politicians to collaborate on the continuation of the reforms, stating that “collaboration between parties will be fundamental for further steps of Albania in the integration process.”
He also recommended the government to continue the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking, as well as the vetting:
The new government should concentrate especially on the implementation of the judicial reform and the process of vetting, which is decisive for the fight against organized crime and corruption. […] It is important that the work for the five key priorities continues, especially the fight against the cultivation and trafficking of drugs.
The commissioner also tempered the high expectations of Prime Minister Rama as regards opening the negotiations:
Our recommendation [for the opening of the negotiations] will depend on the accomplished results. […] All the energy and focus should be directed to the agenda of reforms related to the three pillars of the enlargement strategy: the rule of law, economic government, and the reform of public administration.
