In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt Gunther Krichbaum, Chairman of the EU Affairs Commission in the Bundestag, declared:
We need to decide on opening EU accession negotiations with Albania before the summer. I think it’s still too early. At the moment, I am clearly against opening negotiations.
This statement reaffirms Krichbaum’s stance, which he has constantly made clear, be it after the European Commission’s positive recommendation, or after his meeting with Prime Minister Edi Rama at the end of April.
“Albania has shown us numerous reforms, but they have to be enforced completely. This is especially pertinent to the war against corruption and organized crime, that often reaches the highest circles of the government,” the German MP added, referring in particular to the scandal of the last few weeks involving Minister of Interior Affairs Fatmir Xhafaj. Other German MPs also warned that they were following the way in which the government and judiciary system would manage the Xhafaj case closely.
Among other things, during the interview, Krichbaum also expressed his displeasure at the European Commission’s progress report that recommended the unconditional opening of accession negotiations with Albania:
The European Commission, that wants to open the accession negotiations, is, at times, too trusting.
The German MP took the same stance immediately after the EC progress report that recommended opening negotiations, in April, when he stated for Deutche Welle that “the European Commission’s recommendation is not enough” and that high levels of corruption and organized crime constituted a problem.
