INTERVIEW – The Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama hosted us in his summer residence in Dhërmi, to comment on the most recent opening of the accession negotiations with the European Union, announced on July 19, together with North Macedonia. According to the government head, this is a major milestone for this Balkan country, which has long been under the yoke of the communist dictatorship.

 

Albania has just been granted a fresh start. When did you decide to join the EU and why did you make this choice?

The EU accession procedure undergoes several stages. We obtained the status of a candidate country to join the European Union back in 2014. It has been eight years since then. The start of the EU accession talks this summer is therefore very good news for us. It helps us to deliver and make further progress. When we negotiate our entry into the European Union, this provides us the opportunity to embark and carry out a rather profound process on ourselves, because it is a very detailed process on the laws, the institutions, on their functioning and the improvements these components should undergo. This is a great opportunity to build a rule of law and a democratic state that works better and guarantees citizens standards for them not to depend on one another, but on the state. This is very important.

 

When you were a child, living under a communist regime, did you ever imagine Albania one day joining the EU?

Never! Under communism, one could not imagine whether a regime-change would ever take place. Of course, it was just around the end of this period, when the (Berlin) Wall fell and various regimes in the Eastern Europe subsequently fell, that we were provided the possibility of imagining things changing.

We never had the opportunity to choose. Being a small country, geographically located in a very strategic position, because it is located at the crossroads of routes of many countries, various regimes and empires for over 500 years, ones we did not choose, but we had just to accept them.

This is the very first time we are making a free choice. We want to belong to the European family. Many previous generations have been denied this opportunity.

Our nation, our society can finally choose and decide for itself where to live and by what standards. It’s a feeling that’s hard to imagine otherwise.

 

Were there any pressures and tensions when making this choice?

No, this choice was actually an easy one. It was a collective choice, even though the different components of our society are finding it difficult to agree upon other subjects. On this one, the choice was unanimous.

 

What do you expect to change in Albanians’ daily life? Are you going to change the national currency?

These are subjects currently under discussion, but what is already changing is the way we are working, building and imagining the future. It is about building a state that we never had. By far, we haven’t built the rule of law, a state specifically built for the citizens, where the judge is really the judge, and powers are separated. This would really be a change.

Moreover, Albania once was the most isolated nation among the former- communist countries. We had almost no diplomatic ties, exchanges, including with the Eastern countries in the former communist bloc.

We were Europe’s North Korea. This is a very profound fundamental change.

 

Will the Albanians follow this change?

Albanians are amazing when it comes to adapting. The Albanians excel in all the countries they have emigrated to, whatever the job they do there. Abroad, they fight and succeed. Here, it can be more difficult, it is about creating a community of work, of values, because it is also a question of tradition, culture and history. But we will get there too!

Albania has been actually transformed a lot. Tirana, the capital, for example, has changed a lot. It is a modern, dynamic city, totally different from the Tirana of “the leaden” years.

Albania is quite a different country from what it is perceived in Europe. This year is surprising, as we are recording an unprecedented number of international visitors. For example, Tirana has emerged as the second most visited city after Antalya since the end of the pandemic. We did not expect that. Our projection was that 2.9 million people would enter the country, but the visitor number is expected to jump to over 4 million by the end of the year.  However, if tourism seems to us an important resource to exploit, because the country has enormous potential, we want to do it in a rational way so that the country develops without destroying our resources.

 

Corsica could be a great example for that, as strict regulations have been put in place there regarding construction in particular.

Corsica is a magnificent example, but it is seemingly quite difficult for the same thing to be done in Albania. We need Corsicans! (Laughs)

The main difference is that Corsica is an island with a specific history and past. The psychology of the islanders is very particular with an identity consciousness and a highly developed protective instinct.

We will have to do it differently.

 

You have already launched many investment projects in tourism infrastructure. You are also engaged in particular discussions with the French group Accor?

Yes, Accor group has forged contracts with several investors. They entered the Albanian market 4 years ago, and happened thanks to Nicolas Sarkozy, who is a member of the board of projects already implemented. He paid a two-day visit to the country together with Carla Bruni, his spouse. Carla performed in a concert and we flew together on board a helicopter to have a sight of the country.

The first thing he told me upon landing was that we were sitting on a gold mine. When he returned to France, he encouraged the first visit of the Accor group to Albania. They actually acknowledged they had never considered launching their operations in Albania, but they were fascinated by their visit. They now have several contracts.

Mélia Group has also signed a number of contracts for the high-end hotel industry, which Albania still lacks. It is important for us to develop this type of offer, which would change the typology of visitors in the next five years. Indeed, we have already recorded a very significant growth of classic tourism offers and we are not seeking to trigger a mass tourism effect, but efforts are being made to diversify the sector.

 

In your view, will Albania soon be “the place to be?”

Yes, I think some things are still missing, but we are on the right track. The country is small; it is beautiful, hospitable, and welcoming. The food is good and you eat well everywhere, both in large restaurants, as well as the street food. Many Albanians have returned from Italy after working in the restaurant and food businesses there. The effect is very positive.  

 

You have a Minister of Tourism in your cabinet. Is he sufficiently offensive and active in your opinion?

The Minister of Tourism is actually a French-speaking woman and a very active one.

Albanian tourism offices abroad have yet to be launched and this is the case in France too, for example, because human and financial resources are primarily needed for this, and on the other hand, I still think that promoting itself is not more credible than what visitors themselves tell their friends about their experience.

The experience of tourists, who have visited the country themselves, is the best promotion.

We once had a bad reputation. In the 1990s, when the country emerged from its bunker, it didn’t necessarily create a good image and that reputation actually haunted us for quite some time. This is changing now. In France 5 years ago, we were either unknown or we had a bad reputation. However, a growing number of positive press stories have been written since then and more and more French tourists are visiting Albania now.

 

You have a large Diaspora. Which are the countries with the largest Albanian Diaspora?

Italy, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, and less Albanian nationals live in France, in the United Kingdom and the United States of America …

 

Originally an artist, you too have been living in France once. What is your relationship to France?

For a long time, France was my second favourite country. I used to live there because of the scope of my activity and occupation: namely art. I read a lot about the history of art in French, its museums, and its artists.

Today I have many friends in France and also a good relationship with the president. Our friendship will hopefully last beyond our current positions, which is something rare.

We talk about a lot of different things. I often tell myself, it is really regrettable that the French do not know him. He is someone intellectually curious, and respectful of others.

He is the French President and I am the Albanian Prime Minister. Our countries did not have significant relations by far, but he is interested in the Balkans and in developing the relations with the region. It is also deplorable that the French do not realize his humanity. He was re-elected after facing difficulties he did not deserve. Humanly, he is an extraordinary person. His wife is also someone special. They are a respectful, humble couple, quite differently from the perception of the French public about them.

 

How do you see Albania in 10 years?

In 10 years, Albania will perhaps become an EU member, if the Union itself is going to remain what it is now. The world today is changing fast. It would suffice to take a look at the current context.

If everything goes fine, in 10 years Albania will be a member of the European Union and we are doing everything to deliver on this goal.

 

How did you manage the Covid-19 crisis?

We observed a very tough lockdown, which we imposed immediately. Few restrictions were then left in place and quickly reopened to tourism. We never shut down our country’s borders?

 

Why?

We were cautiously following the trend in fresh COVID-19 cases and the hospitalizations so that we could act in the best and most efficient possible way to cope with the situation. We had to strike a balance with the rest and especially the economy. Then, you know, Albanians are not prone to sticking to too many rules for too long. However, it worked and we did really well!

 

Did you follow the WHO recommendations?

Yes, we have certainly enforced the WHO recommendations, but we have also adopted a more flexible approach in doing things in an acceptable and respectable way. Otherwise, if we were not to act this way, the recommendations would have been ineffective.

 

Do you think that much stricter rules were imposed in France, given that a total lockdown and tough restrictions were in place?

We imposed a total lockdown shortly after the start of the pandemic and no curfew was in place.

 

What do you think of the coronavirus vaccination?

Vaccination was very effective and we all now should learn to live with the Covid.

 

How do you operate while at the helm of a state like Albania? Do you have to obey the WHO? Do you decide for yourself or do you consult with this UN body?

We don’t have to. We have looked at the actions launched by other countries, including Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hungary etc. We were in contact with the countries in the region too. We analyzed the differences between the choices and their outcomes so that we could adopt the most suitable and balanced approach based on our needs and our own limited capacities.

 

Looking back, what would you have done differently?

We would have done the same. I no longer have the figures in mind, but our record is good.

 

Has the tourism reopening caused a spike in fresh coronavirus cases?

No, we haven’t recorded an exponential increase in new cases.

 

My last question is about Islam. A large part of the population in Albania is made up of Muslims, whose religious practice is often considered a European model, due to a very liberal view of religion. How do you explain it?

Albania is not a Muslim country; it is a 100% European country. The way we live has an impact on spiritual and moral wealth, but also social wealth. We do not feel that we are in a Muslim country. Time to time, we happen to see women wearing a veil, but it is only a few of them. Religion is absolutely not a cause for disputes.

I am Catholic, my wife is Muslim, and the children from our previous marriages are Orthodox. We have a child together, he will decide on his own. This is how we live religion! Moreover, if there were ever signs of radicalization, they were very marginal and sporadic.

 

What message would you convey to the French?

If you want to discover a country where part of the past is still present, it is Albania. It is really a journey to the past, the country’s nature, hospitality and gastronomy. The first Constitution of our country opened with the following provision: “An Albanian’s house is the dwelling of God and the guest.” This says it all.