"Albania has received the green light 'in principle' from the Czech Presidency of the European Union to hand in its request for membership," said the Albanian premier in an interview with AFP, before adding that the date for doing so is yet to be determined.
"We agreed on filing the request," he said, noting that 96% of Albanians back the country's EU bid.
The European Commission has identified normal procedures in Albania's upcoming parliamentary elections as a condition of its candidacy, with the country set to hold parliamentary elections on 28 June. Meanwhile, the IMF recently warned Tirana to be prudent in its spending ahead of the elections, or risk undermining the country's macroeconomic stability.
Albania has a poor record in elections, which are often marked by fraud and incidents. A new electoral law designed to prevent fraud was recently adopted in parliament.
'It's all about elections'
Berisha's decision to file an EU membership application is seen in Brussels as a pre-electoral trick. Albania's political class also hopes to benefit from NATO opening its doors to the former communist country at the alliance's summit on 3-4 April. Croatia is expected to join NATO at the same time.
Diplomats indeed hinted that "it's all about elections," with other polls also a factor, including European elections in June in particular, but also national elections in Germany in September. Moreover, a second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will most likely be held in October.
Amid falling public support for further EU enlargement in Western Europe, mainstream political parties do not wish to give ammunition to populists wishing to exploit fears that a poor country like Albania would add to the bloc's problems, said one diplomat.
