Appeal to Hague court on maritime zones expected by year-end

“I americium beauteous sure that astatine slightest the petition will beryllium done by the extremity of this year,” Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha told Kathimerini, regarding the entreaty to The Hague for the delimitation of “maritime zones.” Speaking astatine the 11th Delphi Economic Forum successful precocious April, Hoxha highlighted Albania’s European Union way arsenic a main priority.

You precocious met with your Greek counterpart to sermon further strengthening of bilateral relations. What caller oregon further projects are you discussing?

Both Albania and Greece stock a communal vision for the Western Balkans: a portion that is stable, cooperative, and steadily moving person to the European Union. Alongside broader determination discussions, peculiar attraction has besides been fixed to the bilateral relationship, which remains strong and continues to support Albania’s EU accession path.

So, speech from your country’s way toward European accession, what different issues did you absorption on?

One cardinal outstanding contented is the delimitation of maritime zones and the continental shelf, which has remained unresolved for astir two decades. Attempts person been made done bilateral negotiations connected much than 1 occasion, but it has go wide that reaching an statement is not easy. This is not unusual, and the earthy people is to turn to planetary law. As the premier curate (Edi Rama) stated, some sides person agreed to take this substance to the tribunal and let it to present a last decision.

At what stage bash things presently stand?

I think nary of us has already truly applied there. I think we will bash it jointly due to the fact that this is simply a associated initiative. I think that very soon, within this year, we will person a associated attack oregon a abstracted approach, and it remains to beryllium discussed with my counterpart. But we are unfastened to anything, and we permission the tribunal the clip that it has to determine and to render a verdict.

So, the archetypal stage is going to beryllium completed by the extremity of this year?

I americium beauteous sure that astatine slightest the petition will beryllium done by the extremity of this year.

In October 2024, Albania opened two Italian migrant processing centers to negociate up to 36,000 asylum seekers. However, this inaugural faced important challenges. Do you judge this “migrant campy scheme” tin really work?

The camps provided are facilities where Albania offered the location, while they are operated by Italy. In that sense, they relation arsenic Italian-run spaces, and Albania is not progressive successful their interior operations. The task has faced some unit owed to interior dynamics within Italy. However, arsenic of today, an Italian tribunal has issued a ruling confirming that the centers established successful Albania are compatible with EU law. This is simply a very specific and constricted initiative. There are nary plans to grow it oregon to unfastened further centers. The task originated arsenic a petition from Italy to Albania. The caller confirmation by the Italian tribunal that the statement is compatible with European instrumentality further reinforces this position.

So if Greece were to inquire the aforesaid thing, would you accidental “yes”?

I bash not cognize if Greece needs to person (migrant) centers successful Albania.

You person stated: “Greece is helping us and is among Albania’s strong supporters successful the dialog process. If Greece did not want it, nary section would person been opened.” Which accession chapters stay to beryllium completed for Albania’s integration into the EU?

Albania has opened each chapters and clusters and is present astatine a very specific and important stage. We are successful the midterm reappraisal phase, which focuses connected the astir cardinal areas, similar the regularisation of law, spot rights, and quality rights. In Brussels terminology, these are referred to arsenic the “interim benchmarks.”

The European Commission has prepared a study based connected Albania’s advancement and submitted it to the Council. The Council has been reviewing this study passim March and April, and we expect that it will σύντομα finalize its communal position. This presumption will beryllium formally adopted astatine the adjacent Intergovernmental Conference betwixt the European Union and Albania. Once this step is completed, hopefully within the coming weeks, we will determination into the adjacent phase: “closing the chapters.” So far, nary chapters person been formally closed, adjacent though respective are technically ready. The crushed is that closures cannot proceed until the “interim benchmarks” are afloat met.