Albania's EU Aspirations

While the European Commission's Oct. 16 recommendation to grant Albania EU candidate status marks a significant step forward in the country's bid for EU membership, Tirana is unlikely to join the European Union this decade. The recommendation comes a decade after the Balkan country began negotiations with Brussels and four and a half years after it formally applied for membership. This recommendation is not definitive, as it has yet to be approved by the 28 members of the European Union. Furthermore, several enduring problems in Albania including corruption, the lack of economic and governmental reforms and the presence of organized crime in the country will remain key obstacles to Albania's eventual EU membership.