European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Republic of Albania) Order 2007

rose to move, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Republic of Albania) Order 2007. The noble Baroness said: The western Balkans, of which Albania is a part, has had a troubled past. We can all remember the distressing images that multiplied across our television screens throughout the 1990s of conflict, ethnic cleansing, massacres and breakdowns of law and order. Our challenge today—this is one of the UK’s foremost foreign policy priorities—is to help this region to draw a line under its troubled past and move towards a more stable future. The UK’s vision is to see all the countries of the region move steadily towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration. This is the right vision for these countries. It provides the incentives for reform and will bind the countries together into relationships of mutual co-operation and interdependence. It is also the right vision for the existing EU. These countries are not remote and distant; they directly border the European Union. Our interests are served by their progress towards meeting EU norms and by their eventual membership of an EU, which will offer security and prosperity to the western Balkans region. That is the context against which today’s debate is taking place. At the Zagreb summit in November 2000, the EU established a process to bring the region closer to the EU, fostering stability and facilitating development. The agreement that we debate today is a key part of the process. It creates a contractual relationship between the EU and Albania, setting the terms for free trade and easier movement of workers, services and capital. It also sets out responsibilities in the areas of justice, freedom, security and regional co-operation. The Government are convinced that proper implementation of this agreement will help to bring stability, economic growth and strengthened rule of law to Albania. That will be particularly important, not just for Albania but also for the UK. Albanian criminal interests directly impact on the UK’s well-being. Our best way of dealing with them—both bilaterally and through the EU—is to establish the close partnership with Albanian institutions that will allow a strengthening of the rule of law in Albania, leading to stronger capacity to tackle organised crime and corruption. As part of the EU integration process, the countries of the region are required to take forward key reforms in areas such as public administration and economic governance and in the fight against organised crime and corruption. While more progress is needed across the region, the prospect of eventual EU membership has been a powerful driver behind reform efforts, improving governance and stability. As these countries move closer to the EU, we hope that the likelihood of a return to conflict will become increasingly improbable. The new EU instrument for pre-accession—IPA—will help Albania in meeting the economic, political and other criteria for EU membership. The allocation for Albania for the period 2007-09 is €212 million. Albania’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement—the SAA—has now been ratified by Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Slovenia and Slovakia, as well as the Albanian Assembly and European Parliament. The key elements of the agreement for Albania are that it recognises Albania as a ““potential candidate”” for the EU; it sets out the stages for Albania to progress towards eventual membership via a closer partnership with the European Union; and it promotes regional co-operation and will open up regional economic opportunities. In addition, the SAA supports the efforts of Albania to complete the transition into a functioning market economy, to promote harmonious economic relations and gradually to develop a free trade area between the Community and Albania. Implementation of the SAA will be a central and continuing requirement of the European Union and, along with the priority reforms highlighted in the European partnership between Albania and the EU, will help to reinforce public administration reform and good governance. The Department for International Development and the Commission are working to support these reform efforts. The Government believe that the EU’s role in encouraging reform and stability is vital for the future peace of the western Balkans. The SAAs are important building blocks in this process. The Albania stabilisation and association agreement will serve as a strong political message of EU support to the wider region and should provide motivation for Albania and other western Balkan states to make further progress, taking the steps needed to move further towards the EU. The process benefits the UK, not only by reducing the likelihood of future instability but also by driving progress in key areas such as the fight against organised crime and corruption. I beg to move. Moved, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Republic of Albania) Order 2007. 21st report from the Statutory Instruments Committee.—(Baroness Royall of Blaisdon.)