Democratization process in albania and conctructive impacts of the European Union

Albanians are Balkanic people whose important portion have scattered throughout the region. With the Cold War Albanians had to live within a country which had isolated itself under its communist rulers from the rest of the world. However, after the Cold War following the collapse of the communist regimes in the region, Albania also underwent outstanding changes with the increasing attention and interests of the Western powers, primarily US and the European Union.With the new millennium the country entered into a phase of Westernization, in other words, democratization and modernization. Although the anticipated impetus of reform has not been acquired so far, at least with the introduction of the market economy and widespread privatization foreign capital has been lured to the country and a considerable economic development gathered its pace. On the other side, the complementary part, i.e., reform in the judiciary, administration as well as political institutions are waiting their turn to be materialized yet.In the democratization of Albania external as well as internal elements played important roles. Geographical proximity has rendered the European Union to show interest to the country and vise versa. Although, in initial phases the European Union could not play a decisive role in the course of the modernization of the country, yet after extracted lessons from its former experiences, it devised more constructive policies toward the region and the country. Hence, over time, the European Union has become the major actor in the democratization and economic development of the country, surpassing any other state having interest on Albania.This study is comprised of three chapters subsequently handling the historical context of the Albanian state and nation, along with elaborated emphasis on its unique culture; the spontaneous democratization process the country underwent before the European Union designed specific policies relating the region and lastly the international agreement between the European Union and Albania as well as progress reports unfolding the development of the country under the aegis of the European Union.Key Words: Albania, Albanians, Democratization, European Union, Integration, Balkans.