“Negotiations with Albania should be opened as soon as possible”, German Minister: We are doing our best to remove the last obstacles

You have said that the road to integration goes through reforms. And I think this is especially true for Albania. What reforms did you talk about in Tirana?

We all know that EU membership requires the fulfillment of many conditions. Both Albania and Northern Macedonia have made great progress, especially in the area of ​​justice reform. In Albania, it is really important to move forward with the vetting process, which requires the help of the opposition. We talked about this issue, but in general, I congratulated Albania for the determination with which it has implemented reforms in recent years.

“It was very special for me that my visit there was the first official act for the new Prime Minister,” said German State Minister Anna Lührmann, referring to her meeting with the Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski. on 17.01.2022, in Skopje.

Your visit to Skopje coincided with the start of the new government, and shortly afterwards the new Bulgarian Prime Minister went there. There seems to be movement and hope for a deal. How do you assess these steps?

It is a great sign that the new Bulgarian government and the new Macedonian government are clearly moving towards each other. We very much hope that these bilateral issues will be resolved as soon as possible in bilateral formats. It was very special for me, that my visit there was the first official act for the new Prime Minister, also for my new counterpart in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The fact that this visit took place so quickly speaks of the very good relations between Northern Macedonia and Germany.

What should Skopje do to resolve this dispute with Northern Macedonia?

It is now important for the talks with Bulgaria to take place in this bilateral format. And I received very positive, encouraging signals from both Skopje and Bulgaria. I think there is a great awareness that it is important to move forward with this accession process as soon as possible.

“It is a great sign that the new Bulgarian government and the new Macedonian government are clearly moving towards each other!” Says Lührmann. Bulgaria has been blocking the opening of Northern Macedonia’s negotiations with the EU for almost two years.

Encouraging signals from Bulgaria have now faded slightly from the fact that the opposition and the president have sharply criticized the bold stance of the new prime minister. There is a concern that this could jeopardize the new government as well. How will you support Bulgaria?

I think it is very important that we as the European Union as a whole, including Bulgaria, keep our word to Northern Macedonia and Albania. We are ready to support these processes, which should happen, but above all it is a bilateral process and I believe that the priority for the new Bulgarian government is also very clear: To move forward with the reform agenda and there is a great desire for history to be left to historians.

You are also in charge of the government for Franco-German relations. France in recent years has been an obstacle to the integration of the Western Balkans region into the EU. You have already met your counterpart in Paris. Do you see movement?

France has sent a very clear signal, with the program of the EU Council presidency, where the membership perspective of the Western Balkan countries is called of central importance. It will host a conference on the Western Balkans. In his speech in Strasbourg, Macron mentioned the topic again and made it clear that he has a membership perspective. So even the signals from Paris are very encouraging.

French President Emmanuel Macron explaining the focus of the French presidency at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (19.01.2022)

What is the new emphasis that your engagement in the Western Balkans will henceforth receive?

I am the Minister of State for Europe and Climate. And for the new federal government it is very important that our European policy focuses on climate protection policies, both in bilateral relations and in Brussels. I also clarified this during my trip. We will strive for the countries of the Western Balkans to expand their renewable energy capacities, increase energy efficiency, but also nature protection. This is a big topic especially in Albania. And of course these will be addressed with priorities.

The German Foreign Minister spoke in Kiev to open a hydrogen office there, and that encourages me to ask: Can you imagine something similar for the Western Balkans? Would this also be a solution to avoid coal energy in the region?

This should be seen depending on the country. The development of technologies for the production of hydrogen is certainly a topic. However, I believe that priority should be given to the question of how electricity can be obtained for daily use through renewable energies. And it is even more efficient to use electricity directly from solar panels, from wind farms. and then convert this into electricity with hydrogen.

Vjosa River in Kanicol / Environmental protection is one of the main topics of German politics. It will be a topic in the future in relations with the Western Balkans.

Specifically, where do you see the potentials and how can Germany support the Western Balkans in these areas?

We as a government are working to put this topic at the center of all bilateral relations. But, of course, it can also be a topic in the context of expanding economic cooperation. We have a large investment of a wind farm from a German investor in Northern Macedonia. And of course we will continue to provide support. These issues will be further discussed in the field of technical cooperation with Albania.

The previous federal government was criticized in the region for relying too much on stabilists and being less value-oriented. Will you change this attitude?

The new German government has said quite clearly that we will put a values-based foreign policy at the center of our activities. This means that we will openly express criticism, if appropriate, but also that we will support positive processes that bring stability. For example, during my trip, although it was very short, I met not only the government and the opposition, but also civil society. And that is certainly something we want to continue: cooperation with civil society, support for a free, independent press, because that is what keeps democracies alive.

EU Commissioner Varhelyi’s actions have been widely criticized in the region and also within the EU because he is pursuing an Orban-led policy, which in some respects runs counter to the EU’s policy of values ​​in the Western Balkans. . What can you do at this point?

Yes, I think it is clear that we as the EU are a community of values ​​based on the rule of law and democracy. And I have made it clear consistently during my first talks in Brussels that this will be a very clear focus, especially for the new federal government. And this will also be at the heart of our policy towards the Western Balkans.

In Tirana, you said that you want to support the continuation of the Berlin Process. But in recent years the impression has been created that the process has entered into a routine, and that it has no political effect. What can you change?

I believe that the most important dynamics for cooperation in the region comes from the perspective of the EU. This means that we now have to move forward in order to really really start membership negotiations with Northern Macedonia and Albania. You mentioned Ryco, this is a really great network from which new impulses come. And here we see that it is important to create perspectives for young people in the Western Balkan countries, which also make it easy for mobility within the region to be educated and professionally educated. And these are certainly areas where we need to keep working.

You must have encountered the concept of the Open Balkans during your trip. How do you comment on that?

First of all, I understand that there is a great desire to cooperate in the region. At the same time, initiatives that want to strengthen regional cooperation must be truly comprehensive, which means that countries like Kosovo must be included. And that’s essential to us. And the instruments of the Berlin process are very appropriate for that. An agreement on a common regional market was reached in Sofia. And this agreement must now finally be implemented.

Another important issue in the Western Balkans is the hybrid war, the influence of other actors, especially Russia. And now, given the problematic situation in Ukraine, we can see that this is by no means insignificant. There is a concern that there may be destabilizing policies. How will you deal with them?

From the EU perspective. It is very important for us to make it clear now that these countries are part of the European home and that they really belong to the EU. And, as you pointed out, also for geostrategic reasons. We talk a lot in Europe, especially about Europe’s sovereignty. And if we, as Europeans, want to be independent, then we must be able to really bring stability and cooperation to the Western Balkans, which is in fact already part of the European home, even though it is not officially part of it. And that’s why it’s so important to me. And I believe that is also the answer to the fact that other actors are likely to do destabilizing actions. The

Adelheid Feilcke and Anna Lührmann at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin, on 20.01.2022

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You are a politician who started dealing with politics at a young age. What is your advice for young people? What should young people in the Western Balkans do to work towards a better future?

Must be activated. This is what I did in the first years. I have been politically active since the age of nine or ten, I started with environmental protection, then in the school council and I saw how changes can be made. I was elected at the age of 19 as a member of parliament and I think it is very important for young people to have their voice in institutions such as parliament or government.

The interview was conducted by Adelheid Feilcke, Head of the European Department at Deutsche Welle

Anna Lührmann, 38, has been Minister of State in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for European Affairs and Climate, since December 2021. She used to be a professor in Gothenburg, but she started politics at a young age. In 2002, at the age of 19, she was the youngest member of the German Bundestag. After two successful legislatures for the Green Party, she embarked on a scholarly career.