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Albanians are heading to the polls on June 25 for parliamentary elections as the country looks to bolster its democratic credentials ahead of potential European Union membership talks.

The ruling Socialists and the rival Democrats are the leading parties looking to gain an outright majority in the parliament of the NATO-member country of 2.9 million people.

The country gained EU candidate status in 2014, but movement has been slowed by its perceived lack of reforms, including those involved with the election process.

The Democrats had threated to boycott the elections, demanding that Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama resign ahead of the vote to ensure a fair vote.

The United States and European Union brokered a deal in May between the sides that overhauled election rules and allowed the opposition greater oversight over the process.

Voting starts at 0500 GMT and ends at 1700 GMT, with preliminary results expected on June 26.

Rama, 52, will be seeking his second term as prime minister. He described the vote, which will be held in front of international observers, as a pivotal moment for the country.

"These elections in Albania will either open the door to the European Union, giving us a seat at the negotiating table, or we can again slam it shut ourselves," said Rama, whose party appears to be ahead in most polls.

Focusing on the economy, Rama has set an annual growth target of more than 5 percent, from the current 3.5 percent. He has vowed to shrink the national debt from 71 percent of GDP to the low 60s.

Ramas Socialists will be facing the center-right Democrats of Lulzim Basha. Neither of the two was able to win the 70 seats needed for a majority in the 2009 or 2013 parliamentary elections.

The 43-year-old Basha has cabinet experience and has run on a platform of low taxes and has vowed to fight corruption.

His party has promised a 9 percent flat tax, free school meals, and a revamped health system.

Both men have served as past mayors of the capital of Tirana.

Both parties are seen as pro-Western and have expressed support for the global fight against terrorism.

Basha has expressed his admiration for U.S. President Donald Trump. Rama has expressed concerns about Russian influence in the country.

Lurking behind the scenes is Ilir Meta, the face of the center-left Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI), and widely described as a kingmaker in past coalition governments.

Former Prime Minister Meta, 48, a veteran of post-Communist politics, is president-elect after being voted to the largely ceremonial post by parliament on April 28. He stepped down from the LSI as required to assume the presidency.

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Albanians Go To Polls To Elect Parliament, Bolster EU Hopes - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

European Union leaders Friday were not impressed with British Prime Minister Theresa May's initial proposal to protect the rights of millions of citizens from different countries when Britain exits the bloc.

Mays offer to agree to residency, healthcare and other social benefits to citizens from the other 27 EU countries who have lived in Britain for five years or more fell far short, according to several EU leaders at a summit in Brussels.

My first impression is that the UKs offer is below our expectations, and that it risks worsening the situation of citizens, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, told reporters Friday.

About 3 million EU citizens live in Britain and more than 1 million Britons live elsewhere in Europe.

Members of the EUs 27 remaining nations said they wanted more details from Britain after May made her pitch Thursday, on the eve of the first anniversary of the so-called Brexit referendum.

Last year, British voters favored leaving the EU by 52% to 48%. Formal negotiations over the exit started this week.

Officials working at the EU institutions in Brussels have complained that May's government is disorganized and does not have a grasp on what kind of divorce deal it is aiming for.

May has argued in favor of a hard Brexit, meaning Britain would leave the bloc and an EU customs arrangement, forcing the two sides to redraw their trade relationship and end EU citizens right to live in the UK without a visa.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker answered no when asked Friday if he had a clearer idea of what kind of exit the British government wants.

Citizens' rights is a major issue in the negotiations, which are expected to last until early 2019. EU leaders want a guarantee that their citizens living in Britain will have legal rights including residency after the breakup.

May said Friday that her offer was fair and serious. She is expected to present more details Monday when she addresses Parliament in London.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called May's proposal a good beginning.

But it was I'm trying to word this very carefully it was not a breakthrough. We have said we want to pursue this matter through good cooperation but I think what came out yesterday is that we have a very long way to go, Merkel said.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said, There are a lot of details left open.

Citizens from all 28 EU nations currently have the right to live in any of the countries without a visa. That is expected to change for people who move to Britain, and for British citizens in the rest of Europe, after the UK leaves the bloc.

The EU leaders have set two other priorities for the negotiations. They argue that the UK must pay a sum estimated to be as high as $100 billion in budget obligations before it leaves.

They also want the UK to guarantee that Brexit will not endanger peace between Ireland, an EU member, and Northern Ireland, which is part of Britain. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement put a stop to decades of violence between sectarian groups in the two countries.

Stupp is a special correspondent.

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British proposal on citizens' rights after Brexit fails to impress European Union - Los Angeles Times

With theParis Agreement, the worlddecided to take responsibility for its present and its future, by committing to preserve the very source of life: our planet and its environment.

The climate change deal is an unprecedented multilateral partnership between nearly 200 countries, supported by companies and communities across the world, to address a problem facing all of us.It's a challenge we can only tackle together and, since the beginning, Europe has been at the forefront of this collective engagement.

It also strengthened support for the poorest and most vulnerable. We see more and more people on the move, or exposed to extreme poverty, due to droughts or floods linked to climate change. For Europe, dealing with climate change is a matter of political responsibility and multilateral engagement, and a matter of security, prevention of conflicts and even radicalization.

That is why the European Union will not renegotiate the 2015 Paris Agreement. We have spent 20 years negotiating. Now it is time for action, the world's priority is implementation.

And as we address climate change with an eye on the future, we createcountless opportunities for the present by setting up new and better ways to produce and consume, invest and trade and protect lives for the benefit of all people as well as the planet.

To accelerate the global transition to a low-emission, climate-resilient future, we have started to strengthen our existing partnerships and seek new alliances, from the world's largest economies to the most vulnerable island states. From the Arctic to the Sahel, climate change is a reality today, not a remote concept of the future.

We expect all countries to uphold the Paris Agreement and put words into action by implementing their national climate plans and strengthening their efforts over time. Plans must be turned into concrete, actionable policies and measures now.

The EU is already working towards completion of the legislative and regulatory framework necessary to deliver on our goals: to reduce emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. Our legislative actions cover all sectors of the economy. We are putting energy efficiency first and boosting uptake of renewable energy across the board.

Taking action on climate change goes hand-in-hand with economic growth. Take the EU's case: our emissions have fallen by 22 percent since 1990, while total EU GDP has grown by 50 percent. During this period, we have created new jobs, businesses and technologies. We are preparing our economies for the future and, at the same time, investing in making our societies more resilient to climate change, to reduce current and future risks.

We have more than two decades of experience in developing and implementing ambitious climate policies. We are ready to share our experiences and lessons learned. It's not by chance that we have already established extensive climate policy cooperation with key partners across the globe. We will also continue to provide substantial funding to support climate action in partner countries. In 2015 alone, EU support totaled 17.6 billion euros.

This November, countries will gather in Bonn for the next UN climate conference COP23 to continue to flesh out the work program for implementing the Paris Agreement. Next year, the UN climate process will be the first opportunity since Paris to look at our collective efforts to limit global warming and assess what we have done concretely to deliver on our commitments. These are key steps for turning the political agreement reached in Paris into reality.

Yet this is a challenge we can only overcome though the greatest possible involvement from the public, businesses, local communities and cities in parallel.And we are seeing an unprecedented breadth and scale of action by all of these actors.As institutions, we can plan and support the strategies needed to save our environment, but it is they that have the crucial role of turning policies into action and results on the ground.

Our new EU Consensus on Development actively promotes this role.Both enhanced cooperation and coordination among all stakeholders will be key.

Only by working together will we be able to live up to the level of ambition we have set ourselves and reap the many benefits of concerted action: lower emissions, greater energy security and efficiency, innovation-driven growth, job creation, more resilient societies and a better environment.

Paris was a defining moment in the global challenge to safeguard the planet for present and future generations.The EU is determined to not only implement the Paris Agreement, but also build strong global partnerships to ensure that diplomacy and multilateralism bring real, tangible results for our people. The world, the planet, can count on the European Union.

Federica Mogherini is the European Unions chief diplomat, serving ashigh representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and vice-president. Miguel Arias Caete is the EUscommissioner for Climate Action and Energy.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.

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Why the European Union is forging ahead with the Paris Agreement - The Hill (blog)

In one fell swoop, a legislative committee of the European Union Parliament has snubbed Chinas recent easing of restrictions on inbound foreign investment, rejected Beijings demand to be recognized as a market economy and established stringent requirements for the EUs possible contribution to Chinese President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

On Tuesday, the EU Parliaments trade committee overwhelmingly adopted a resolution amending the European Commissions proposed legislation on protection against dumped and subsidized imports from non-EU countries. In other words, EU lawmakers have decided to toughen the blocs rules against Chinas unfair trade and investment practices.

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Last September, the EU Commission set out a proposal to calculate anti-dumping measures against countries with significant market distortions i.e. where prices are government-determined and not market-based. New anti-dumping rules should be applied to all exporting nations regardless of whether they have market economy status. So, the old blacklist of non-market economies will be scrapped by the European grouping, and the EU Commission will investigate on a case-by-case basis, using international prices and costs as a benchmark, whether a nation (China) dumps its products or not.

The EU Commissions anti-dumping mechanism is actually a subterfuge to continue to deny market economy status to Beijing. The Asian giant became a member of the World Trade Organization in 2001. Under the related accession protocol, the EU should have recognized China as a market economy as of December 2016.

International standards and reciprocity

In addition to the EU Commissions provisions, the European Parliaments trade committee proposes that anti-dumping measures be imposed if an exporting country does not comply with international labor, fiscal and environmental standards, and discriminates against foreign investors.

The EU has 40 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures targeting unfair exports of various steel products, with 18 of them concerning imports from China, according to the EU Commission.

The EU Parliaments trade committee approved its resolution just four days after Chinas State Council had cut the number of restrictions, or special management measures, on foreign investors from 122 to 95 in the mainlands 11 free-trade zones. Sectors involved in the operation include aviation manufacturing, waterway transportation, banking services and education.

The move is viewed as an attempt to attract more foreign investment in China after last years contraction an inflow of US$133 billion, compared with $135 billion in 2015, according to the 2017 World Investment Report.

The European bloc has been repeatedly pressing Beijing to foster a friendlier investment environment on the mainland

The European bloc has been repeatedly pressing Beijing to foster a friendlier investment environment on the mainland. Earlier this month, at the 19th EU-China summit, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker underlined that while Chinese investment in the European Union increased by 77% in 2016, the flow in the other direction declined by almost a quarter.

To make a comparison, he added that EU investment in China last year was about 3% of what EU countries invested in the United States. Simply put, there is a lack of reciprocity in terms of market access between European companies that want to invest in China and Chinese firms that want to invest in Europe.

Whats more, the EUs new anti-dumping legislation has indirect implications for Belt and Road, Chinas grandiose plan to improve connectivity across Eurasia and beyond. In demanding that international labor, fiscal and environmental standards are taken into account in anti-dumping procedures, EU lawmakers ultimately question the transparency and fairness of Chinas trade and investment policies. It is worth remembering that during the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in May, EU member states rejected a final summit statement on trade because it did not clearly address such issues as environmental and social standards, among others things.

Pressuring China

The anti-dumping resolution voted by the EU Parliaments trade committee has to be passed at the assemblys plenary session in July and then adopted by the European Council the EUs intergovernmental body to complete its process of approval. But the general orientation is that the new anti-dumping scheme will get the green light, as it is supported by European heavyweights such as Germany, France and Italy.

With the introduction of this new legislation, Chinas pitch to create a united front with the EU in favor of the free market and globalization, and against the protectionist wave coming from Trumpian America, amounts to wishful thinking now more than ever.

For once, the European bloc has shown unity on a delicate global issue and Beijing will have to change its trade and investment paradigm if it wants to tie the EU to its strategies. Just to begin with, ensuring a level playing field on the mainland for EU investors and more transparency for the Belt and Road initiative would be concrete steps in that direction.

Even Chinas all-weather friend Pakistan has recently dared to introduce anti-dumping measures against Chinese steel products. Perhaps, in its battle against Beijings market distortions, the EU has chances to win.

Emanuele Scimia is a journalist and foreign policy analyst. He is a contributing writer to the South China Morning Post and the Jamestown Foundations Eurasia Daily Monitor. In the past, his articles have also appeared in The National Interest, Deutsche Welle, World Politics Review, The Jerusalem Post and the EUobserver, among others. He has written for Asia Times since 2011.

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The European Union dumps China - Asia Times

This is the picture that emerges from a joint report released today by the European External Action Service and the European Commission on the partnership between the EU and Lebanon for the period from March 2015 to April 2017. The report comes ahead of the 8th EU-Lebanon Association Council, scheduled to take place on 18th July 2017 in Brussels.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission, Federica Mogherini said: "The European Union and Lebanon have a long-standing strong relationship that is built on joint work and close cooperation in a wide array of areas. We are working together on security, counter terrorism and on the regional crises, but also on growth and job creation which is key to all Lebanese. As we agreed at the Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region in April, the European Union will continue to stand by Lebanon to implement the necessary reforms, support its stability and socio-economic development while promoting Lebanon's example of a pluralistic and democratic society. Lebanon can also count on the EU's support as it moves ahead with its democratic process following the agreement on a new electoral framework".

EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn commented: "The European Union is supporting Lebanon in many different areas, ranging from security to education and health. EU funds, as well as the EU/Lebanon relationship more generally, have contributed to the socio-economic development of the country, helped upgrade Lebanon's infrastructure, created opportunities for the private sector and supported important initiatives at the local level. The EU is determined to continue to support the country's longer term development goals. This is why we are engaging with Beirut on the opportunities that exist for concessional financing via the EU's Neighbourhood Investment Facility and the new European External Investment Plan. The EU is also supporting Lebanon in hosting so many people in need: EU funds help both refugee and vulnerable host communities, ensure that hundreds of thousands of children receive quality education and provide access to healthcare".

While the impact of the Syrian crisis continues to be felt across the region and beyond, Lebanon alone hosts more than 1.1 million registered refugees from Syria. Against the background of these challenges, the partnership between the EU and Lebanon has continuously strengthened and become more strategic and targeted. In line with the renewed European Neighbourhood Policy, the EU-Lebanon Partnership Priorities and Compact EU support and cooperation have been particularly focussed on developing the capacity of security and law enforcements agencies as well as a justice system in full respect of human rights, on achieving progress in the areas of good governance and the rule of law, fostering growth and job opportunities, and promoting a comprehensive and positive approach on migration and mobility.

In the last months, Lebanon has made important steps by electing a new president last October, thereby overcoming a 29-month institutional gridlock, and forming a new government last December. The Lebanese parliament's recent endorsement of a new electoral law (which happened after the closure of the reporting period) provides the basis for parliamentary elections to be held in the coming months. This further contributes to strengthening democratic institutions in the country.

Details

The report refers to the intensive cooperation on the multilateral, regional and bilateral fronts on all the above mentioned key topics and also addresses other areas such as such as education, research and innovation and culture as well as health that form part of the EU-Lebanon Compact. EU assistance to Lebanon in these areas is targeted at having a long-term effects on the country beyond addressing the impact of the Syrian conflict such as promoting public healthcare and education for all.

The European Union has mobilised some 1 billion to assist Lebanon since the beginning of the Syrian crisis. This includes EUR 439 million in humanitarian assistance to support refugees and vulnerable Lebanese, EUR 249.5 million from the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) to enhance the capacities of Lebanese institutions at central and local levels, and to support them in the provision of basic services to Lebanese vulnerable communities, Syrian refugees and Palestinian refugees from Syria. EUR 224.2 million are mobilised via the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis and projects worth EUR 57 million from the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) will contribute to enhance stability, rule of law and reconciliation in the country.

For more information:

Full country report

EU support to Lebanon

Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon

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Report on the state of EU-Lebanon relations: strengthening our partnership - EU News