Drop in Albanian Support for EU Integration

According to the survey by the Albanian Institute for International Studies, AIIS, 77.1 per cent of Albanians back the country’s integration into the European Union, compared to 85 per cent in 2013.

The figure, which comes from the survey published on Tuesday, is the lowest since AIIS first conducted the opinion poll in 2006.

Albania is a potential candidate country in the EU. Last week, the European Commission issued a fresh recommendation for Tirana to obtain candidate status in the upcoming EU Council of Ministers meeting.

In a progress report issued last Wednesday, the Commission said Albania has continued to implement and consolidate EU-related reform measures, in particular those relating to candidate status.

“There has been continued political will to act decisively in the prevention and fight against corruption and structural reforms testify to an all-encompassing approach including a wide range of institutions,” the Commission said.  

Despite the positive recommendation from the commission, however, a number of EU countries remain skeptical about Albania’s bid.

Tirana first applied for candidate status in 2008 but its bid was thwarted by a fraught political climate between the government and the opposition and a poor record of reforms, particularly on the fight against organized crime and corruption.

According to the survey, 33.6 per cent of Albanians consider the EU integration process "very important" and another 52 per cent as important but not vital.

The majority of the respondents - 64 per cent - believe that Albania will not be able to become a full member of the EU before 2020.