The Future of Albania between Migrations and European Politics

On the 10th of October 2012 the European Commission has reccomended that Albania be granted the candidate status. This has taken place in conjunction with the centenary of the Albanian independence. The Commission report has opened new scenarios, also because in order to obtain the status, the country must still fulfill some specific conditions in the field of the judiciary, of the reform of the Public Administration, and in the Parliamentary procedures. If on one hand this means that the process has not been completed and has been de facto delayed, on the other hand it allows for the development of a vision for the future, because it recognizes that much has been achieved. In the last twenty years many steps forward have been moved, such as the entry to the NATO alliance and a costant although incomplete process of consolidation of democracy. It is on the next steps that the country must concentrate. It is in fact necessary to build a democratic State fully legitimated with a good welfare system and good governance, reinforcing the Rule of Law and allowing the development of a lively and serene civil society, proposing solutions to serious problems such as corruption and organized crime. All this must not be seen as an obtstacle, but as a goal and as a challenge to achieve always new results, always oriented towards the future. The picture must be completed taking into account that if Albania needs Europe, Europe needs Albania, in a relationship of interdependence that must not be underestimated or ignored. Moreover, Albania plays a significant role at regional level. The migration factor, which is very relevant in a country like Albania where almost half of the population lives abroad, must be reintepreted in a new propositive way, as a driving force for both the country of origin and the country of destination, in the light of return migration, circular migration, to fight the brain drain, and other. These aspects are explored analytically and critically, delineating in the end a profile of Albania in Europe, of Europe with Albania, proposing a vision for the future of both.