The Albanian Opposition may take the parliamentary work. And: A friendly Border between Serbia and Kosovo could be a real solution, says Florian Hahn in the DW-Interview.
Opposition Protest in Tirana
Deutsche Welle: Mr. Hahn, you have delivered a few days ago a Declaration on Albania, you show no understanding of the step of the Opposition, that they delivered their mandates. How were the reactions you get from Albania?
Florian Hahn: I can understand peaceful demonstrations, peaceful Protest, but I believe that where there is political debate in a democracy, their main place has and must have, in Parliament, between the elected representatives of the country, that it is precisely this space, not boycott. The examination must be conducted.
However, the Opposition claims, they can not exercise their parliamentary role, and you don’t want to serve the government as a facade. Because the government wants to take according to the Opposition, in all the independent institutions of influence. Match this representation of the Opposition with your impression?
I can remember well the time when the democratic party was in government and the socialists have strike the Parliament. I have criticised at the time, in the same way and is wrong. It’s not that I would condemn the demonstrations, or that one should not fight back against rules that you think is wrong. But the Parliament should be on strike as the core of the democratic system, in any case, or boycotted.
Florian Hahn, European policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag
What do the Opposition now?
This is a difficult Situation: There is for someone who gives a mandate usually a corresponding successor. And, if so, if one is sensible enough, then you should nachbesetzen the mandates of the own party.
But if the party leadership doesn’t want that?
This was a severe error and actually should not determine a mandate from the party, and this is a question about how to understand democracy: after all, it is the people, the representatives of the people chosen, and not really the party may not determine whether someone is a mandate or not.
It should therefore be no recommendation on how to now?
I had the recommendation to not boycott the Parliament, and I have to leave the recommendation as this is the way to come back to a normal parliamentary with each other or Against each other, as provided for in the democracy.
Would now, perhaps, new elections a solution?
What should learn about the parties overall? If you manage elections so, as it is not provided for by the Constitution – and it comes to the change of power – what is the other party learns of the Opposition? You learn that you can force through a Boycott of the system and delivery of the mandates new elections. The question is, where is Albania going? Will Albania become a stable democratic country, a part of the EU? Then, it is right that the Opposition is accompanied very critical of various reform processes. But the Boycott is certainly not suitable to support Albania on the road to the EU.
The CDU/CSU has established last year a few of the conditions for the opening of accession talks with Albania. Albania has made progress?
We see, in many points, too little exercise, in other areas there is greater movement or improvement, for example, in the process of Review of the judge. But of course, the current Situation, especially the Boycott of the Parliament, a huge step backwards.
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But it has done the Opposition. How do you assess the reforms of the government?
We consider Albania as a Whole. The more we want Albania to be a part of the European Union, the greater our interest is that we have an Albania in the EU, which is stable and our democratic values. And here at least there is a lot of question marks.
The foreign Minister of France has said that the time for further rounds of enlargement, not ripe, and that we should reform the EU before it comes to further enlargement rounds. That’s not a brake Signal in the direction of the Western Balkans?
I don’t know, what a foreign Minister in a conversation that I was not there, said. It is crucial, however, the EU progress report. This is on 29. May released and we will find, on the basis of this progress report in the German Parliament, take a decision and, of course, on the basis of the current events that take place in the Western Balkans.
You think that the protests, which take place in other countries of the Western Balkans, will have an impact on the normalization efforts between Serbia and Kosovo?
Of course, we have a high interest in ensuring that there is progress. However, we also see that there are actors with a strong interest have not, these go out to be positive. We hope to achieve positive progress.
Positive progress in border changes?
With the border changes, you should act very carefully, but I personally, and this is my personal opinion, think that when two sovereign States are, in fact, agreed to change together, with a common border and if you can answer each for himself and his country, then I think you have to accept that. More specifically, the International community must accept that.
You represent a different opinion than many of their colleagues in the group.
This is my personal opinion. I’ll say it again: If two sovereign States can find together the solution that you can answer for your own country, then the International community must accept that.
And what about the so-called Pandora’s box?
We want to, of course, that thus the sovereignty and the mutual recognition of the two States is associated. When associated and other countries with the border shift are in agreement, then you should not reject it immediately.
Florian Hahn (CSU) since 2018, the European policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag and Chairman of the working group in matters concerning the European Union.
The conversation was led by Anila Shuka