Why the Issue of Minority Rights in Albania Could Become a Roadblock to EU Accession
This report is part of the larger anthology “Insights into Albania: Internal Struggles and Geopolitical Challenges in the Western Balkans”
Read the report here
Read the full anthology here
Albania’s approach to European Union conditionality on minority rights often mirrors that of a student barely making passing grades. While the country appears to align with EU requirements on the surface, deeper scrutiny reveals persistent violations. The 2023 national census resurfaced these issues, charting a significant population decline, primarily driven by emigration of the general population to Western countries. This broader demographic shift has indirectly exacerbated tensions with minority groups, which accuse the government of underrepresentation and inequitable treatment. Despite Albania’s formal legislative alignment with EU standards, the country’s trajectory in protecting national minorities reveals significant deficiencies in implementing minority protections and fair treatment.
These developments raise critical questions about the true state of minority rights in Albania and the efficacy of its legal frameworks. As Albania’s general population continues to shrink, its lack of robust mechanisms to address minority grievances risks further undermining its social cohesion and its ability to meet EU accession criteria. In recent years, EU country reports have increasingly highlighted deficiencies in Albania’s protection of national minorities, particularly flagging concerns related to its Greek minority. These issues have caused bilateral tensions with neighboring countries such as Greece and North Macedonia and have jeopardized Albania’s EU accession path. As an EU member state, Greece could potentially veto Albania’s progress if concerns about the rights of its Greek minority are not adequately addressed.
Two pressing questions arise from this trend: How will Albania protect minority rights as it normalizes its relations with neighboring countries and upholds its obligations to meet EU standards? Will Albania take this matter seriously and not drag further than it has already done from the absence of secondary legislation, which has rendered the 2017 minority protection law effectively inoperative, coupled with census-related disputes that have sparked conflicts in the region? In terms of the 2023 census, Greece and North Macedonia underscore the limited political will to implement a robust minority protection program. These shortcomings could deepen Albania’s diplomatic rifts with neighboring EU member states, harm its international credibility, and jeopardize its prospects for EU membership.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not an official policy or position of New Lines Institute.
