Dear reader,
First click the here and take a look at the planned transformation of the Tirana Pyramid from the mausoleum of a dictator to a “Youth center for creative technologies”.
EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker called it a “grave, historic error” while Donald Tusk urged both countries not to give up.
90 % of the EU members with Germany in front voted yes to opening membership negotiation with Albania and North Macedonia. But France said no. The skilled and thorough EU officials were in shock and excused to Albania and North Macedonia. The European Council had blatantly broken its promise without any valid excuses.
According to Mr. Macron the influx of Albanian asylum seekers is a big problem and furthermore he argues that the EU should adjust its rules on membership before any more members are accepted. As negotiations can take up 5 years the EU has a lot of time to decide on the necessary adjustments.
But what is ,according to the official data of the French Ministry of Interior in 2018 the number of Albanian citizens who have applied for asylum in France? Of a total of 124,000 asylum applications filed in France in 2018, Albanians are 5793. So only 7%. That becomes a negligible percentage when compared to the total number of immigrants to France, which in 2018 was 3,821,323 people! So Albanian asylum seekers represent only 0.1% of immigrants in France. Its a pity that The Netherlands and Denmark (DK closed its embassy in Tirana a few years ago) supported Mr. Macrons misconceptions. The European Council decided to discuss the matter again in May 2020 at the latest, but Germany and Italy want to raise the question again in on a meting in December 2019. Let´s hope that they succeed.
The new national Stadium in Tirana. On November 17.: Albania- France
Earlier this year France won 4 – 1. But who knows…..
A clear message from The World Bank til F, NL and DK
Quote: “Albania has transformed from one of the poorest countries in Europe to an upper-middle-income country. The country is implementing important reforms to revitalize growth and job creation, while advancing the European Union integration agenda”. Read on….
Remember that they said:
The EU institutional leadership lashed out against member states for having denied Albania and North Macedonia a chance to advance in their EU membership aspirations. “Both countries passed their exams, I can’t say that about our member states,” EU council president Donald Tusk told reporters in Brussels on Friday (18 October). Read more here.
What will happen now…
Prime Minister Edi Rama stated after the meeting of the Socialist Presidency on October 21. that in the coming days there will be a contact with the President of France, Macron on the issue of negotiations, and with leaders of other European countries. The purpose of the communication will be to understand the course of the process, as Macron vetoed blocking the opening of negotiations with Albania and Macedonia.
“In the coming days I have a set of communications set out on the agenda with the French president and a number of other member states’ leaders to understand the further progress of the process,” Rama said. Asked about DP chair Lulzim Basha’s request to send the country to early elections as in the case of Macedonia, the prime minister responded by saying that ‘They have worked very hard and left no stones unturned to defeat the process’. The majority’s focus now is on the electoral reform, for which Rama once again stressed that it would be adopted in December on the basis of OSCE recommendations with or without the DP.
OSCE Meeting 2019 in Tirana
Representatives of the 57 OSCE participating States, the six OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation — Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia — and several international organizations will meet in Tirana on 24 and 25 October to discuss the achievements, challenges and future opportunities for the OSCE Mediterranean Partnerships. The ministers and other high-level delegates will exchange views on: the importance of joint efforts in countering terrorism, violent extremism and radicalization that leads to terrorism; youth participation and engagement to enhance dialogue and co-operation in the Mediterranean; the role of connectivity, digitalization, sustainable development and economic growth in advancing common security in the Mediterranean.
And finally some interesting figures on SME´s and nnovation in Albania.
Click on picture or here to read on…
That´s all for now,
sincerely,
Hans-Georg Nielsen
Albanian Honorary Consul
Comments and suggestions are welcome on hgn(at)albanskkonsulat.dk
PS. This newsletter is mainly sent to relevant Danish and Albanian authorities, to Danes who have shown interest in Albania, to Albanians living in Denmark and to the friends and contacts of the consulate.
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