"Spain has expressed very clearly its full support for Albania's future in the EU. And that’s very important. Now, we are all aware of the difficulties you mention; however, we still have some weeks; negotiations will continue restlessly until the General Affairs Council of 22 June. Spain definitely supports all the efforts of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council. I am hopeful,” has said Ambassador of Spain to Albania D. Marcos Alonso Alonso.

In an exclusive interview with Albanian Daily News which focused mostly on the ongoing Conference on the Future of Europe Ambassador Alonso,whose diplomatic career has been closely linked with the relationship of Spain with international organizations and particularly with EU holding responsibilities in the Spanish Permanent Representations to the EU, NATO, Council of Europe and the UN, was of the opinion that it will be successful if it manages to attract the interest of European citizens. “From a Spanish perspective, there are four areas in which we think the Conference should focus: the expansion of the notion of European citizenship, an increase in the role of municipalities, more attention to the challenges of insular or depopulated areas and finally greater attention to the role of sports for building Europe.”

Making a balance sheet of the donations to Albania he mentioned among other 4.2 million euros to procure medical equipment such as ventilators, electrocardiograms, echographers or x-rays, 26 million to help overcome the economic impact of the pandemic and 20.65 million euros for urgent support to vulnerable groups in order to help reduce social exclusion and poverty.

Touching upon the important sector of tourism Ambassador Alonso revealed how the Spanish Government supported the enterprises during the crisis and unveiled the government plan to welcome vaccinated visitors as from next week although there will be some exceptions and limitations. According to the new rules, which will enter into force on 7 June, all visitors who can prove that have completed - 14 days prior to their trip - the vaccination process with one of the vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the World Health Organization (WHO) will be able to visit Spain. ”And this will include, of course, our Albanian friends,” said Madrid’s top diplomat to Tirana.   

And tourism is seen by Mr. Alonso as a potential sector of cooperation. “In the framework of ‘EuropeWeeks2021’ – organized by the EU Delegation to Albania- I had the opportunity to meet and discuss with tour operators as well as with representatives of municipalities and my conclusion is clear: Albania has tremendous touristic potential but sustainable tourism is the only way forward, we cannot drain resources but build upon them and protect them.”

Asked on the sensitive question of border changes in the Western Balkans the Spanish Ambassador was cut and short: “The response of the international community was very clear. Border changes do not contribute to stability and peace in the region.”

Below full interview:   

Albanian Daily News: The Conference on the Future of Europe announced at the end of 2019 after many delays has already started on May 9, 2021 coinciding with the Day of Europe. Please can you share with us the Spanish ideas on it and its expectations?

Ambassador Marcos A. Alonso: The Conference on the Future of Europe is extremely instrumental to reflect and think about the kind of Europe we want to build. And citizens must be placed at the very heart of this reflection. 

From a Spanish perspective, there are four areas in which we think the Conference should focus: the expansion of the notion of European citizenship, an increase in the role of municipalities, more attention to the challenges of insular or depopulated areas and finally greater attention to the role of sports for building Europe.

- 71 years from the Schuman Declaration? 1950-2021. Do you think, Mr. Ambassador, that the Union and Europe itself are in need of making meaningful possible changes the more so when it's getting stronger the feeling of treaty changes of the past times?

- The Conference on the Future of Europe will be successful if it manages to attract the interest of European citizens. Thus, I think that the Conference should focus on feasible objectives and avoid creating expectations that cannot be fulfilled. That is why, from our point of view, the institutional dimension of the EU should not be the core of the discussions.

- Do you think that the event is evidence that Europe is entering a new political, economic and social era expedited by the pandemic which has hit the Continent and the entire world?   

- Europe is a process, it has always been. And in that process Europe has come out stronger from challenges, difficulties or crises. The pandemic has revealed us – and I would add the entire world – many of the deficiencies that we must tackle. In any case, for the large majority of Europeans the pandemic has shown that there is a need for “more Europe”.

Framed as a platform of debates and discussions anticipated to enable people from across Europe to share their ideas and help shape their common future, do you think it will likely deliver when it has barely failed to introduce a detailed concrete scheme for discussion?

- The Conference can be an extremely useful and successful exercise to foster an active participation of citizens in shaping our common future. We need to make a Conference which captures the attention and interest of the general public, it cannot become the Conference of just specialized groups in EU issues.

The most innovative mechanism of the Conference is the so-called “Citizens’ Panels”. They play a core role and will discuss the proposals received through the Multilingual Platform and make recommendations to the plenary of the Conference. The members of the Panels will be chosen randomly. All Member States will be represented in proportion to their population, the panels will be gender-balanced, with representation of all socio-economic and education backgrounds and with at least a third of young people between 15 and 25 years old. Therefore, I think we must acknowledge the true intention to place the citizens at the heart of the Conference and the shaping of the future of Europe.

- In the meantime, which is the main reason turning it into an emergency for the eventual restructuring of the architecture of Europe? Is it linked with EU's loss of its leadership role in the old Continent in face of a rising tide warning of an unavoidable reshaping of global world order or can we really believe that the articulated voices of its people are the genuine push to reshape the Union, its vision towards enlargement? In this frame should the accession process with the Western Balkans countries be a priority item of the Conference?

- The Conference aims at reflecting on the kind of post-crisis Europe that citizens want. There are four main clusters of topics, which cover pretty much everything: (1) one focuses on democracy, values and rule of law; (2) a second one is devoted to climate change, environment and health; (3) a third one focuses on economy, social justice, labour, education, youth, culture, sport and digitalization; (4) and a final one on EU’s role in the world and migration.

The accession process is not – as such – one of the topics because it’s an already on-going process linked to the future of the EU, to our common future.

- How much possible and important do you consider the mission for reshaping the future of Europe, and on top of all are all the major powers really committed to fulfill it under the current circumstances?

-The world has changed tremendously since the end of the Cold War, pushed also by globalization. The pandemic has shown that the world needs a strong Europe and Europe must adapt to be up to its responsibility. That’s what the Conference is all about.

- Sir, can the EU be proud of the "European model” of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and the display of solidarity with the Western Balkans and other poor parts of the world?

- We cannot cast any doubt on the EU's solidarity to the Western Balkans in general, and Albania in particular, when it comes to Covid-19. The EU has donated Albania 4.2 million euros to procure medical equipment such as ventilators, electrocardiograms, echographers or x-rays, 26 million to help overcome the economic impact of the pandemic and 20.65 million euros for urgent support to vulnerable groups in order to help reduce social exclusion and poverty.  The Ambassador praised the solidarity of the EU to the Western Balkans in facing the Covid – 19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the EU has disbursed through the European Commission 90 million euros under its Covid-19-related macro-financial assistance programme to mitigate the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic. The EU has also provided 38,000 rapid antigen tests, 40,000 PCR tests and 20,000 vaccins this month while deliveries will continue until August.

Moreover, the EU has also channeled its solidarity through UN-led COVAX to which the EU and its Member States are very important donors. Spain, for instance, has contributed 125 million euros to COVAX.

That is why I think that we can easily conclude that the EU has displayed - and continues to display - a high degree of solidarity with Albania and the Western Balkans.

- In the meantime, Mr. Ambassador, it is official now that ‘tourist magnet’ Spain, the world's second most visited country before the pandemic hit, will let people from anywhere in the world who are vaccinated against COVID-19 enter the country from 7 June, hoping to galvanize a recovery in the devastated tourism sector. Because of the pandemic hit, foreign tourism to Spain plunged 80% last year as restrictions brought leisure travel to a virtual standstill, leaving its beaches, palaces and hotels almost deserted. What measures have been taken and please could you reveal if Albania will be included on the list?

- I agree with you. The pandemic has been a hard blow to all those countries, like Spain, with an important touristic sector. The Spanish Government has avoided employment losses through temporary workforce restructuring plans and has financially supported the sector through official lines of credit as well as through a package of direct financial support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), many of them in the touristic sector, worth 7,000 million euros. Moreover, last December, the Spanish Government approved a specific plan to support hotels, restaurants and other touristic businesses with measures worth 4,220 million euros.

As regards travelling, as you say, my Authorities are working very hard to welcome vaccinated visitors as from next week. There will be, naturally, some exceptions and limitations. According to the new rules, which will enter into force on 7 June, all visitors who can prove that have completed - 14 days prior to their trip - the vaccination process with one of the vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the World Health Organization (WHO) will be able to visit Spain. And this will include, of course, our Albanian friends.   

- And as we are talking about tourism and Albania, what can you say please on the current level of the relations between the two countries? What can be done more to expand the overall relations, especially in the economy?

- Although there are projects and investments already going on, much more can be done. And we are working on it because there is a clear interest and will on both sides. A case in point, Minister of Tourism and Environment, Blendi Klosi, travelled to Spain to participate in the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) where he had a fruitful meeting with his Spanish counterpart.

On my side, I have been meeting quite a few actors in the touristic sector, learning what they need and how Spain can better contribute to Albania’s touristic sector so that it becomes not just a socio-economic engine, but also fosters the protection of the environment and builds upon your rich natural, historic and gastronomic heritage.

In the framework of ‘EuropeWeeks2021’ – organized by the EU Delegation to Albania- I had the opportunity to meet and discuss with tour operators as well as with representatives of municipalities and my conclusion is clear: Albania has tremendous touristic potential but sustainable tourism is the only way forward, we cannot drain resources but build upon them and protect them.

- Mr. Ambassador, much is spoken about an eventual change of borders on the Western Balkans; it is spoken on a ‘non – paper’ related to such an idea. Which is your opinion on such a development, and can the Western Balkans become safer through the border changes?

- The response of the international community was very clear. Border changes do not contribute to stability and peace in the region.  

- Albania is expecting to get the green light to the opening of the first intergovernmental talks in the frame of its EU accession process. Which are, Mr. Ambassador, its possibilities for such an opportunity now that even April 25 elections are over or everything is going to be linked with the dispute of North Macedonia and Bulgaria which insists on its veto?

- Albania has come a long way and it is due time to move forward to the next stage. Ambassador Mazi, Albania’s Chief Negotiator, was in Madrid on 3 June where he met the Spanish Secretary of State for European Affairs. It was an extremely constructive and useful meeting in which Spain expressed very clearly its full support to Albania’s future in the EU. And that’s very important.

Now, we are all aware of the difficulties you mention; however, we still have some weeks; negotiations will continue restlessly until the General Affairs Council of 22 June. Spain definitely supports all the efforts of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council. I am hopeful.