Prime Minister Edi Rama’s press statement following European Political Community meeting in Prague: 

 

– Mr. Rama Rama, did they make a decision and how did they respond to your and mister Rutte’s proposal?

Prime Minister Edi Rama: The proposal is already part of the process now, but most importantly a new format has been launched based on an idea that is not a new one, but it is an idea that has always run into impediments along its way and therefore it has not been implemented. And indeed, I think that taking also notice of the spirit created because of the solidarity with Ukraine, which has actually united this whole family of democracies in Europe, regardless of whether they are EU member states or just European countries. I am confident that the project stands all the chances to further develop and consolidate.

The meeting’s format too was a very unusual one, because after the plenary session, where I had the honour to be one of the keynote speakers, an incredible evaluation of Albania to participate in a format of more than 40 nations. We were divided into several round-table discussions, focussing on more details concerning issues related to our proposal, as well as on the most pressing issues, ranging from the common and universal energy crisis, war-driven inflation and of course on the forces backed by “the ruble” within our societies.

-Mr. Rama, you talked about fears. Were you skeptical whether the voice of all European countries in this new format will be heard?

PM Edi Rama: I already said and I repeat: This is a process. Fear has always been a decisive power throughout history of efforts to build a European Political Community, just like at certain moments it has been a hampering force to all formats, including the European Union itself. But, in a situation like this, Europe has reached a point where it has to create it in order to forecast the future.

– Prime Minister, was there any European pledge to assist the Western Balkan countries in their effort to cope with the energy crisis, because in your speech you expressed fear that the same scenario with the COVID-19 vaccines may be repeated?

PM Edi Rama: The good news is that following my request forwarded to the head of the Commission few weeks ago, they have accepted to invite the energy ministers of the Western Balkan countries to attend the extraordinary ministerial due to be held in Prague, a meeting that will bring together all the energy ministers to discuss the energy crisis as an European issue, and not just a matter of the European Union only. Meanwhile, the round-table, where I participated together with the Dutch Prime Minister, focused specifically on the energy crisis  and how our countries, starting with the countries that have their accession negotiations opened, will be directly assisted. I insisted that all the six countries should be treated equally, regardless of whether they have opened the negotiations or not.

– Mr. Rama, do you think that the new Political Community will work in the same way as the Open Balkan initiative? Which will be the Community’s main focus?

PM Edi Rama: I hadn’t thought about making such a comparison, but it is really a useful comparison to understand what it is all about. It is a community of countries coming together in a bid to address issues that are increasingly becoming common ones. The energy crisis cannot be divided into parts, the climate crisis cannot be divided, the demographic crisis cannot be divided and so on and so forth. It is for this reason that the future poses more common problems as we face a new era of threats.

It was really shocking to hear my colleagues, who highlighted the increased energy prices and the forecasts that prices could soar further. However, we will keep insisting to maintain the electricity rates unchanged for the households and small business, and in the meantime we are also exploring ways to help a number of enterprises that have been hit hard by accessing the free energy market. We are seeking ways to provide them relief and ensure some protection for them.

– Mr. Rama, you are scheduled to hold bilateral meetings, including a meeting with the Prime Minister of Greece. Will the maritime border issue be on the focus of the meeting and do you think that Albania and Greece will jointly address to the Justice Court?

PM Edi Rama: We will sit and talk. This is a legal process. There are a series of rules, a series of procedures and we will fully respect the procedures, because we should make our position clear, we should make it clear what we aim at this process and the matter of the unified position on what each party demands, as the court requires it, would take its time. So, there is no consensus between the two parties.

-Mr. Rama, how much do you think this new Community will help Albania, since it was the first that cleared the way to integration?

PM Edi Rama: With this format we are now in an integrated space and what matters most is the fact that Albania has its voice now be heard, as Albania best represents a part of Europe, which has yet to become part of the European Union, but it is still part of Europe.