Prime Minister Edi Rama today hosted the members of the Negotiating Team for Accession Negotiations of Albania to the European Union that demonstrated a high-level of professionalism during the initial phase of the negotiations process and drew the Brussels highest praise, deserving the most encouraging appreciation to continue on a path where every step takes level of democracy and democratic institutions a notch up in Albania.
“I don’t recall any other more joyful moments throughout this 10-year period as head of the government – a time during which there have been moments for me to feel happy for Albania’s position in the international stage – than the happiness and satisfaction at listening to colleague prime ministers or presidents of the European Union member states saying: “We have learned that Albania is conducting admirable negotiations,” PM Rama said in his remarks.
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Hello everyone! Thank you so much for everything! I wished to hold this meeting with all of those who participated in this initial successful stage of the EU accession negotiations process, but it is actually impossible to bring all of them together physically in a single hall and we would have to use the other larger hall, but we reached a compromise to have you here and I avail myself of the opportunity to gratefully thank you and your colleagues who have done a great job in this process, but who couldn’t join us today in person.
I think they deserve appreciation and gratitude just like each and every one of you.
I would like to honestly tell you that I was very afraid of this moment, namely the start of the EU accession negotiations. I was afraid because, as you all know better than anyone else, the launch of the accession talks is an extremely challenging test. As the head of the government, I should not be skeptical about the power, competence and capabilities of administration, because at the end of the day this is a job carried out by the Albanian administration, but apparently I am also affected by the virus of distrust in the administration, a virus that is constantly fed by bad news which means that the vast majority of the work by the administration and the people in the administration, who do not make the headlines, are not appreciated enough for what they are and what they do.
In a way, this very successful process is also a silent but meaningful revenge by the administration and all the Albanian administration employees, who maintain and continuously improve the entire machinery of the Albanian state. For this reason, each and every one of you must feel really proud and you should feel accomplished, because you took part in this sort of retribution demonstrating in Brussels that the Albanian administration has the capacities to fulfill this historic mission and to live up to this patriotic duty.
It is really a pleasure and it is truly a reason for me to have this urge to look you in your eyes and humbly bow before your work, your commitment and the whole energy you have invested in this process, where you have tested not only your capabilities, but you have also provided a contribution so precious that even you probably can’t fully imagine, a contribution to our country, to Albania and the national Albanian flag and everyone there in Brussels that prior to coming across and looking at your presentations had not exactly the same idea, the same respect they now have for Albania and you should feel really proud and fulfilled for this and you fully deserve to consider 2023 as a very significant and meaningful year for your own professional career, as well as for your patriotic contribution to the country.
For the sake of truth, I think it is really a positive surprise that a total of 777 presentations were made and a considerable number of meetings took place.
We lagged behind other countries in this process and you have already heard over the years that Serbia and Montenegro were the “front runners” of the process.
We have now joined this front runners group, if not in the forefront, and we have recovered a lot of time unfairly wasted previously. It was waster unfairly, because we were thwarted. However, we kept making preparations and this is one of the reasons why we were so prepared in this process, although we can’t further speed up the process. Therefore, what I would respectfully ask you is that you all as a team focus on the work and efforts that we recover as much time as possible, that we move forwards as quickly as possible, that we don’t focus on what they ask us for next week or next month only, but instead seek to complete every part of this process well ahead of the deadline set by others. We should be ready for the EU much earlier than the EU becomes ready for us. And we should do this not for the sake of the EU, not for us to lead others in the region, but we should do that to bring the EU as soon as possible here by making sure that the European norms, the European legislation, the way how Europe works are all installed here. And by being part of the public administration you know better than me how “many a slip twixt the cup and the lip”, how much should be done not only to align with the acquis communautaire, but also fully implement the European community laws. However, aligning the legislation is essential to this process.
As we were about to begin the accession negotiations, we held a meeting where I asked Majlinda Dhuka (Chief Negotiator for Albania’s accession to the EU) and others to prepare the “factory” of laws. I call it “a factory” because this is what it actually takes to draft around 300,000 pages that form the cumulative body of European Community laws. There is certainly another important aspect we should bear in mind; that we have succeeded in opening up a new path, which has been materialized as a project, whose implementation is set to commence under the European Council’s decision on the new Growth Plan. In the next few years, Albania will receive over one billion euros in addition to the IPA programmes and in addition to the state budget funds. The EU support will include other steps for integration into the single common market, which included the EU member states previously and I am telling this because your work focuses not simply on presentation and negotiations in Brussels, but also on materialization of everything we introduce or we should prepare to present.
It is definitely a certificate that you have absolutely provided to the Albanian public administration to increase its confidence, as well as to increase respect of the public for the Albanian administration and you should feel great about this and this is actually the very essence of our gratitude for you.
I would like to conclude saying that I am confident that if not all of you, some of you wonder how the work will go on, since you know that we face a problem, which has nothing to do with your mission, which has nothing to do with the EU accession negotiations process, but it has to do with the politics and the political relations. I think you shouldn’t worry about it and I am confident we won’t face any delays, as we will find a solution to this, always on the understanding that we don’t reach any compromise with anyone when it is about issues that are a matter of justice.
This understanding is very clear to us, but on the other hand I believe it is clear to everyone in the EU. In the meantime, I am convinced that together with our neighbors, we will manage to decide that major reasons will prevail on this issue, which we definitely understand how important it is for our neighbors and for which we are absolutely ready for anything that does not hinder the process of consolidating our new justice system. There is no room for a possible compromise on this, not because we don’t wish to do so, but because the justice we want is much more stubborn than us. Having said this, we and you will continue our common work despite everything.
I won’t further lengthen the usually “short” speech and I will wish all the best to everyone. I would like to extend my special felicitation to all of those attending this event and those who represent the independent institutions. This is another good part of this EU accession process, because all the institutions have worked harmoniously and have seriously delivered and accomplished the mission they are tasked with and being fully independent from the government orders in terms of internal self-organization and it speaks volumes about Albania in Brussels.
And that’s why I would also like to thank all the heads of independent institutions, because although our duties are separated domestically, we share the same mission in the world: to represent Albania with as much dignity as possible and make Albania more and more respected.
In historical terms, you have done for Albania, what the national team has done in football this year. It’s the same thing, though in two different areas.
Thank you very much!
