A new spirit in Greek-Albanian relations seems to be taking shape in the decisions of the Tirana Government, which are brought to the attention of public opinion by media reports in Athens, which speak of secret negotiations between the two countries.
One of these decisions dates back to last December, but it seems to have passed quietly in Albania. The act gives the right to anyone who feels like a minority to declare themselves as such through a form that has already been approved by the government, based on a long-standing request from the Greek government. The right to self-declare as part of a certain minority is not only for those who live in certain areas, but for any citizen regardless of the city or village where they live.
A person who claims to belong to a national minority and seeks to be identified as such submits a self-identification form to the same commission established within the ministry responsible for internal affairs to examine requests for recognition of a national minority. Factors such as language, religion, culture or traditions provide a sufficient basis for the purpose of self-identification.
The decision provides for the establishment of a special Commission, which will review the forms, which will be chaired by the Ministry of Interior, and will also include representatives of the minority committee, ministries and other institutions subordinate to the government, as well as members of civil society proposed by ethnic representatives.
To prevent abuses or interference in this process, the government has established a measure that in cases where there is an increased and unusual number of self-identifications, within a six-month period, their verification must be requested.
The Commission accepts the self-identification and reflects the data in the relevant list for national minorities, within 30 days from the submission of the self-identification form. In exceptional cases, based on reasons that cast serious doubts on the accuracy of the self-identified data, further verification of the self-identification may be requested, by a majority of 2/3 of the members of the Commission.
However, according to the Council of Ministers, this filter will only come into effect after two years, thus creating the possibility that for the next two years anyone can declare themselves a minority, without any verification. Once this process is completed, central and local authorities will have to meet the demands of the minorities that will be created, not only in areas where they have been classified as minorities for years but also in new units that may be created.
In cases where the number of citizens belonging to a national minority is at least over 20% of the total population residing in this local self-government unit, they have the right, in addition to the Albanian language, to request the placement of the names of the administrative unit, roads and other topographical indicators in the language of the recognized minority.
According to the 2023 census data in Albania, the largest minority is the Greek minority, but it does not even constitute 1% of the total population in the country. Anyone who feels like a minority can declare themselves as such through a form that has already been approved by the government.
In the December decision, but made public only a few days ago by the Greek media, Edi Rama has fulfilled Greece's condition for National Minorities, with which he has threatened our country on the path of integration more than once. By establishing a Commission, the government gives Albanian citizens the right to declare themselves as belonging to a certain minority, not only those who live in certain areas, but citizens from all cities or villages of Albania can become part of this process.
A person who claims to belong to a national minority and seeks to be identified as such submits a self-identification form to the same commission established within the ministry responsible for internal affairs to examine requests for recognition of a national minority. Factors such as language, religion, culture or traditions provide a sufficient basis for the purpose of self-identification.
The special commission, which will review the forms, will be chaired by the Ministry of the Interior and will also include representatives of the minority committee, ministries and other institutions subordinate to the government, as well as members of civil society proposed by ethnic representatives. In order to prevent abuses or interference in this process, the government has established a measure that in cases where there is a simultaneous appearance of an increased and unusual number of self-identifications, verification must be requested within a six-month period. However, this obstacle, according to the Council of Ministers, will enter into force only after two years, while for the first two years the Commission will not have to worry about ethnic flows.
The Commission accepts the self-identification and reflects the data in the relevant list for national minorities, within 30 days from the submission of the self-identification form. In exceptional cases, based on reasons that cast serious doubts on the accuracy of the self-identified data, further verification of the self-identification may be requested, by a majority of 2/3 of the members of the Commission.
Once this process is completed, central and local authorities will have to meet the demands of the minorities that will be created, not only in areas where they have been considered minority for years, but also in new units if they are created.
The decision, which came to light 3 months before the May 11 elections, is part of secret negotiations between Tirana and Athens, according to Greek media. According to the latest data from the 2023 census in Albania, the largest minority is the Greek one, but it does not even constitute 1% of the total population in the country. (A2 Televizion)
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