Joint press conference of Prime Minister Edi Rama and President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen:
Prime Minister, Edi Rama: Dear Ursula,
Honourable President of the European Commission,
It is as always an absolute pressure to meet with you, not simply because this is what politeness and diplomacy dictate that I should say this, but because realistically speaking we have really felt the European Commission under your leadership closer than ever before. And the sensitivity which was recognized even when you served as the Minister of Defence towards this part of Europe, namely the Western Balkans, has been emphasized, I would say, even more and has become more tangible with you at the helm of the Commission.
We are absolutely aware of the fact that thanks to you personally, we have had even stronger and larger support than we would normally had in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake a few years ago, just like we are fully aware of the fact that even now in this situation, which is so difficult for everyone and not just for us, yet again, thanks to the Commission’s approach towards the Western Balkans, and of course thanks to your personal approach, yet again we are not alone. Therefore, I wish to wholeheartedly thank the EC President for this stop in Tirana.
We were together to inspect the work on construction of the new railway and at last, in this case, not because of the bureaucracy and the red tape within the Commission, but another type of bureaucracy of the EBRD instead, the project has commenced much later than we had actually envisaged. However, we find ourselves in a situation that we can now say that construction of the Tirana-Durres railway and its branch to Rinas International Airport will complete by early spring of 2024.
On the other hand, it goes without saying that today’s meeting was of special value and significance, because the President informed us about the whole financial situation amid an ongoing war, which has sent bombs and opened wounds all over the territory of Ukraine. However, the repercussions of these bombs and wounds are also found across Europe, including us here in Albania, because of the skyrocketing prices of the energy market, as well as by the wave of inflation, which has affected us all without excluding anyone unfortunately.
I informed the EC President of our own approach, of our resoluteness that we will continue to supporting the families, households and small businesses by not changing the current electricity price. This decision means that it will considerably affect the state budget, but we believe that this is a reasonable weight for the budget to carry nonetheless.
On the other hand, we also have briefly discussed, but we will meet again later, on an extraordinary event, the first of its kind in history of Albania and that event is set to take place on the sixth of December in Tirana, where we will host the EU-Western Balkans Summit. And of course this means that all the EU leaders and the Western Balkan counterparts shall come to Tirana for this Summit.
In other words, in the most impressive way, Tirana, if truth be told, hosted a European football final in the first half of the year and we now Tirana is again set to become the stage of the highest-level of a huge European political event in the second half of this year. So therefore, I would say that in this aspect we are talking about two events that just a few years ago nobody would possibly imagine let alone for us to live through all this.
So I thanked the President also for this fact, because I am absolutely convinced that in the possible elections, even though she won’t probably accept this, but you have been Tirana’s advocate.
Thank you.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen: Thank you very much dear Prime Minister.
Dear Edi, it is very good to be back here in Tirana. So much has happened since my last visit. It is just a year ago, I think, since I came last time to Tirana. In July, you started the accession negotiations with the European Union. And I was very glad to be with you in this historic moment. It was a touching moment, a very special moment. But let me repeat what I said at that time: It is your success!
It is the result of many years of hard work done by Albania and the Albanian people. Years of patience, too. I remember that vividly, of course. You maintained a very strong focus on the European path, on the process. And therefore, this is now paying off with the accession negotiations.
You have shown time and again your commitment to the values of the European Union. You are fully aligned with the European Union’s response to Russia’s brutal war of aggression. I must say it is exemplary how Albania has been actively defending the rules-based international order in the UN Security Council. I really thank you for this clear commitment. This honours you. It shows time and again that we are a community of shared values.
Albania is now firmly moving forward on its European Union’s path. The screening process that has started is on track. The latest enlargement report that has just recently been published shows all the progress that Albania is making. You are strengthening the rule of law, with important reforms of your judicial system, for which you actually managed to build a cross-party consensus, and I really thank you for that. Because we know by experience that this is a precondition, but it is not easy, it takes a lot of strength to do that. And it is the right way to go forward.
You have adopted new measures to ensure equality and inclusion in your society. Your economy has come back strong after COVID. These are all very tangible and very visible achievements. And these are achievements in a very challenging time. I am talking of course about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the terrible cruelty and destruction that it is bringing to the Ukrainian people. Russia is breaking international law and disrespecting the UN Charter. And we also see and feel that Russia is using energy as a weapon, and by that it is manipulating the market. And of course, we all feel the knock-on effects of the rising energy prices and the unstable security of supply of energy. Fortunately, as you have said, Albania is completely independent from Russian gas, due to your hydropower system. But of course, the electricity that comes to Albania is influenced by the disturbances that we see in the energy market – the skyrocketing prices. And thus, it is also affecting your country; it is also affecting Albania.
In the European Union, we have decided that the only possible response is unity and solidarity. As we are in this together, the response, together with Albania, is unity and solidarity.
We are in an Energy Union already. We are putting forward now an energy support package for the Western Balkans. We are doing the same in the European Union. It includes, first of all, direct budget support to address the impact of high energy prices that it has on families and businesses as you have said. There will be EUR 80 million of grants. And if I understood it correctly, you have a system in place that is good to support families and small and medium enterprises in this difficult time.
The second part is not looking at the immediate support that will be accessible from January on. But the second part looks into the mid and long term – the support for the energy system: Here, we are talking about EUR 500 million in grants to invest in energy infrastructure for the whole region. It is going to be channelled through the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. And it is already at work here. Indeed, I saw the beginning of the railway that is being built. But for me, it is also very important that we invest in renewable energy. Because renewable energy is home-grown; it gives us independence; it creates good jobs here in the region; and it is good for the climate.
Investment will go into the floating solar power plant in Vau i Dejës, the modernisation of the Fierza hydro power plant. I was stunned to see that it produces one quarter of the overall electricity production, and also to see for example the energy renovation of the campus of the University of Tirana. These are only few examples. But they show the direction of travel.
Dear Prime Minister, dear Edi, I think, once again, Albania can be proud of its achievements. Because indeed, from your words, but more from your deeds, you prove that your people have shown not only vision but also resilience. You are on track on your way to the European Union. And therefore, from my part also: Congratulations to the fact that on 6 December, we are going to meet again, here in Tirana, with the European Council and we will have the Western Balkans Summit here in Tirana. It is going to be a very important meeting. I am very much looking forward to that. And many thanks again for the hospitality today.
