Negotiations With The EU, Rama For Lobbying In Germany
Nga OraNews Përditësimi i fundit 18 Shtator 2020, 14:26
Unlike Northern Macedonia, Albania is not sure that itwill get a date for the first intergovernmental conference with the EU. Germanyis one of the dubious countries.
Deutsche Welle sources announce that the Albanian PrimeMinister, Edi Rama, is on a two-day visit to Germany. He met on Thursday,17.09.20 in the evening, at a dinner with a group of parliamentarians from theGerman Bundestag. The chairman of the parliamentary group of the SocialistParty in the Albanian Parliament was also present. Taulant Balla, who is alsothe chairman of the Albania-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Association.
According to the circles in Berlin, Rama is in Germanyto lobby the largest parliamentary group in the Bundestag, CDU/CSU, to giveAlbania yes to the opening of the first intergovernmental conference for theopening of negotiations with the EU. But as DW learned from the CDU/CSUparliamentary circles, neither the chairman of the Western Balkans parliamentarygroup from the CDU/CSU party, Johann Wadephul, nor the chairman of the EUCommission in the Bundestag, Günther Krichbaum, attended the meeting.
Still a lot of work
At a conference of the Aspen Institute in Berlin, heldon Thursday, 17.09., as well as in a previous conference held last week at theKonrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, both with "chattam house"rules, came to the fore, that so far the usual skeptical EU countries,including Germany, are still not convinced that Albania deserves the opening ofthe first intergovernmental conference.
The two most delicate points in the argument of skepticsfrom Germany are: the anti-defamation law and the changes made to the agreementon the electoral law in parliament, just days after the parties, the oppositionand the government, agreed after the intervention of Western diplomats inAlbania.
"It will take a lot of diplomatic and political work until the first intergovernmental conference opens," say skeptics in Berlin.
Does not meet with the Chancellor
Albania has recently beenpraised by the German government for its commitment to mediating the Belarusconflict. But, unlike what was previously reported by some media in Tirana.Rama did not have a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel, diplomatic sourcesfrom Berlin told DW. According to DW sources, at noon, Edi Rama will leave forBavaria
