New Year’s Message from Prime Minister Edi Rama to Citizens
Dear fellow citizens, wherever you may be,
Another year has reached its end, leaving Albania higher than it stood on the day it began.
Over the course of this year, the great majority of you, in Albania, across Europe and elsewhere in the world, endorsed the shared effort of the past decade, entrusting our government with the extraordinary mandate of 83 parliamentary seats.
Once again, I thank you for this trust. It is through your confidence that, over the next four years, I and your elected representatives will do everything required to raise Albania’s national flag within the family of the European Union.
In just one decade, we have achieved what once seemed unthinkable when our time in government began.
We have built a different Albania, one that this year hosted the leaders of democratic Europe, from Paris to Ankara and from Kyiv to London, to discuss the future of our continent.
A different Albania, which will host the NATO Annual Summit for 18 months, a distinction that many countries that joined the Alliance long before us have yet to enjoy.
A different Albania, which no longer causes any Albanian to lower their head when travelling abroad, and which today welcomes millions upon millions of visitors from across the world.
A different Albania, more tangible than ever across its entire territory: with Dibra now an extension of Tirana thanks to the Arbër Road; with Vermosh, Theth and Valbona transformed into tourist destinations through the upgrading of old mountain paths into roads built to European standards; with Shkodra renewed through the return of hope and the revival of tourism as an economic driver, dormant since the 1930s; with Lezha, Berat, Korça, Pogradec, Gjirokastër, Përmet, Tepelenë, Kolonjë and many others revitalised, alongside the surrounding villages, now welcoming visitors from Albania and beyond, opening door after door, while tourist numbers have reached levels unimaginable at the start of this decade. The Vjosa River Valley has become a panoramic route of this new Albania, alongside a growing network of motorways, roads and tunnels in both north and south, built to European standards and at a sustained pace, providing not only improved infrastructure but the renewed momentum of a country on the rise.
This transformation, which continues and will continue without pause, through ongoing projects and new developments on the road towards Albania’s membership of the European Union by 2030, was not delivered by the passage of time, as some suggest, nor by fantasy or conspiracy, as others claim. It was achieved through responsible governance, your trust in us and our shared belief in Albania, through tireless work and the contribution of thousands of people across ministries, public agencies and the private sector. Any shortcomings, mistakes or failings along the way do not diminish the historic scale of this transformation.
This is also a different Albania thanks to the transformation of digital infrastructure, from scattered internet kiosks into a mature pillar of governance, recognised as such by leading international institutions.
Over the past three years, Albania has climbed 54 places, ranking 14th among 197 countries worldwide for digital governance, offering citizens real-time public services, free of charge, from anywhere in the world.
The e-Albania platform has saved citizens 620 million euros and an estimated 7,500 years spent in queues, the equivalent of travelling around the Earth 25,000 times.
This is a different Albania which, following a terrorist cyberattack on this very digital infrastructure, built one of the strongest cyber-defence systems in Europe, successfully repelling all subsequent attacks, many of which have gone unnoticed precisely because they failed.
A different Albania, supported during these years by the expertise and dedication of the teams at AKSHI (National Agency for Information Society) and AKCESK (National Cybersecurity Authority), where talented young professionals have steadily strengthened the state’s ability to serve its citizens and the country, turning Albania into an international success story.
This is a different Albania, emerging from decades of power outages, thanks to vision, sustained investment and determined work that have transformed the energy sector, expanded production capacity, diversified renewable sources, reduced household energy costs and brought the country steadily closer to full energy sovereignty, which we will achieve within this mandate, ending the need for energy imports.
This Albania bears no resemblance to the country we inherited at the beginning of this decade, when we were marginalised and overlooked in Europe.
The year closes not only with accession negotiations opened across all chapters, but with Albania recognised as a front-runner in the European integration process of the Western Balkans.
This remarkable achievement for our country’s reputation and national dignity was not delivered by chance, but by the dedication of the national negotiating team and the knowledge, commitment and perseverance of more than 1,000 public servants across ministries and independent institutions.
The past decade has marked a new pace for Albania, a determined effort to recover lost time after a turbulent transition, and a national programme of transformative reforms to secure our rightful place as a European people at the common European table.
This is not the moment for a long speech. It is the moment to assure you that Albania’s new era cannot be reversed, that the best lies ahead for Albania and its people, to guarantee that the coming years will bring even greater results than those achieved so far, and to wish you a happy and prosperous New Year, wherever you are, with those closest to you.
Happy New Year.
