Majority of Albanians support EU membership

If a referendum were held in Albania Wednesday on the country's accession to the European Union (EU), 85 percent of Albanians would vote in favor, a survey showed Tuesday. The result of the survey, conducted by the International Studies Institute, was presented at the EU Information Office. Some 6 percent of the respondents have said no to the EU membership and 9 percent "I don't know." "Albania has shown that it is pro-European and naturally Albanian citizens wish Albania to become an EU member country," head of the EU delegation to Albania, Ettore Sequi, said at the presentation of the survey. "The survey clearly shows the reasons why the majority of Albanians are in favor of Albania's EU membership. This has something to do with the living standard, better employment opportunities, the rule of law, less poverty and more democracy," Sequi said. He considered very significant the fact that the Albanians have realized that the EU integration process would bring transformation and modernization to the country and make it function better and more efficiently. "It is interesting that this year the survey was particularly focused on economic and business aspects," Sequi said, adding that 73 percent of the business community were in favor of Albania's EU integration or membership. "This means that the Albanians know the reality and appreciate it, because the truth is that 80 percent of Albania's exports go to the EU, which provides 65 percent of its imports," he said.