The European Union-Albania Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee meets for the first time in the European Parliament in Brussels, in the presence of Eduard KUKAN (EPP, SK) and Fatos BEJA (Democratic Party, Albania), chairmen.

Brussels

meeting

EU - Albania (T)

KUKAN, Eduard (EPP, SK)

EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee: extracts from the first meeting

SOUNDBITE (English), Eduard KUKAN (EPP, SK), Co-Chairman, This is the 1st constituent meeting of the EP Albanian Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, this status of inter-parliamentarian meetings between EP and Albanian Parliament is up graded now due to the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association agreement, which provides for the creation of this committee.

SOUNDBITE (English), Eduard KUKAN (EPP, SK), Co-Chairman, Political conflicts and problems should be resolved in spheres of democratic institutions, whose decisions should be respected. Colleagues we are meeting now in difficult times, let's not hide it, may I appeal to all of you to use this opportunity of our dialogue as a contribution to the effort to find suggestions, to find solution which would be beneficial for the population of Albania, the Albanian people.

SOUNDBITE (English), Fatos BEJA, (Democratic Party, Albania), Co-Chairman, We must encourage together in the same time any legal initiative to address the short comings identified and to further improve the electoral process in Albania in order to fully realize Albania's potential to adhere to the highest standards for democratic elections as it is suggested in the report.

SOUNDBITE (English), Fatos BEJA, (Democratic Party, Albania), Co-Chairman, Unfortunately the opposition does no participate in the legislation procedures today, neither in the committees nor in the plenary sessions. And today we see a radicalisation of the situation for worst, we see a hunger strike in the Council and some signals of revolutionary means.

SOUNDBITE (English), Carmen FONTES, Spanish Presidency of the EU, This is yet another sign, another proof, that the collaboration between the institutions of the EU and the institutions of Albania is working. This is a very important meeting not only for the fact that it is the 1st formal exchange of views but because of the full spectrum of the National MPs today, the timing is also another ingredient why this meeting is important.

SOUNDBITE (English), Pierre MIREL, Director of the DG Enlargement, Directorate Western Balkans, EU-Albania relations have developed extreme well over the past years, the SA was signed in June 2006, was entered into force last year in June, Albania applied, the Council has now asked us for an opinion and we are working hard on the 1000 of pages that Minister Bregu has delivered recently to us, so the ball is now in our camp.

SOUNDBITE (English), Pierre MIREL, Director of the DG Enlargement, Directorate Western Balkans, Indeed Trade has developed also very well, not just Trade relations, but there is a very high Trade integration between Albania and the EU. The figures are something like 83 percent of Albanian imports from the EU member states and some 67 percent of Albanian exports directed to the EU. I would like to mention that that this is a sizable achievement for a country that lived under a very harsh system.