Pagrindinis puslapis

Welcome from the Chair

Welcome to the site of the European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC).

As the elected Chair of this delegation, I preside over our delegation's regular meetings and act as a Co-Chair of the SAPC with the Albanian parliament. Our joint meetings take place twice per year, alternating between the European Parliament's working places (Brussels or Strasbourg) and Albania.

Albania is an EU candidate country and it has made considerable progress in recent years in the areas of rule of law and judiciary reform. This progress, however, needs to be substantially strengthened, particularly when it concerns the fight against the cultivation and traffic of cannabis, the fight against corruption at all levels and the fight against organised crime.

Opening accession negotiations, and especially Chapters 23 and 24, should follow and stimulate the further progress. The European Parliament follows developments relating to the reform process in Albania very closely, and the related issues are regularly discussed with Members of the Albanian Parliament in the EU-Albania SAPC.

I am convinced that the reform process should be accompanied by a genuine political dialogue and sustainable cross-party cooperation, first and foremost in the Parliament. Democracy should not fall victim to boycotts and staged walkouts from democratic institutions. These are fundamental EU values, and we expect all Albanian political leaders fully to embrace them.

We are ready to contribute to Albania's efforts to fulfil all the conditions necessary for opening accession negotiations and we are looking forward to a constructive and fruitful dialogue in our future exchanges.

Monica Macovei