III 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 182 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 10, 2009 Mr. Kerry (for himself, Mr. Lugar, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. DeMint, and Mr. Kaufman) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations June 16, 2009 Reported by Mr. Kerry without amendment June 19, 2009 Considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Recognizing the democratic accomplishments of the people of Albania and expressing the hope that the parliamentary elections on June 28, 2009, maintain and improve the transparency and fairness of democracy in Albania.

Whereas the people of Albania have made extraordinary progress from authoritarian government and a closed market to a democratic government and market economy in less than two decades; Whereas the Republic of Albania, with the advice and consent of this Senate and the governments of the other member countries, was officially admitted to full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on April 2, 2009; Whereas the Thessaloniki Declaration of 2003 confirmed that the countries of the Western Balkans are eligible for accession to the European Union once they have fulfilled the requirements for membership; and Whereas the Government of Albania has accepted numerous specific commitments governing the conduct of elections as a participating state in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE): Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)urges the Government of Albania to fulfill the commitments it has made to the OSCE with respect to the conduct of its upcoming elections, and to ensure that those elections are free and fair; (2)urges the Government of Albania to expedite the implementation of its voter identification card program to minimize the possibility of disenfranchisement and provide as many cards as possible to eligible voters prior to the election; (3)commends the positive step taken by the Government of Albania to reduce the cost of the voter ID card significantly and avoid charges of a poll tax; and (4)expresses its hope that credible democratic elections in Albania will contribute to a strong and stable government responsive to the wishes of the people of Albania and strengthen Albania’s standing within NATO and European institutions.