Joint Press Release of Prime Minister, Edi Rama and Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Tirana, Mrs. Romana Vlahutin:

Prime Minister Rama: Good afternoon everyone. I was pleased, together with the Minister of Integration, to welcome the Report and along with it, Mrs. Ambassador and to share with her views not just on the content of the Report, but on the steps that we need to take together, hand in hand with the European Commission, on this path that has entered a new phase, after we received the candidate status.

Let me now give the floor to Mrs. Ambassador for her presentation, wishing her good luck with her job, a pleasant stay and obviously satisfactory results from this joint work here in Albania.

Ambassador Vlahutin: Thank you. I just had the pleasure to submit to the Prime Minister the Progress Report on Albania, which is part of the enlargement package for 2014, approved today by the European Commission.

This report is a branch of the June report on the candidate status and it clearly recognizes the reform efforts and progress made ​​in the country. Candidate status means more responsibility, but even more demand towards Albania. Of fundamental importance is the fact that reforms need to be accelerated and a better implementation of laws must take place, so that we can look at the steps Albania will make towards the European Union.

For this, three essential elements will be looked at in the future.

First of all, the rule of law that is a really essential and a very crucial aspect. Moreover, judicial reform, fight against corruption and fight against organized crime.

Secondly, reform of public administration. It is also very important to create adequate capacity, in order for Albania to meet all the requirements and to have the capacity to absorb all the assistance provided by the European Union in the future.

Thirdly, we are dealing with the new concept of good economic governance, with which the European Union will help countries to come into line in order to look at how this good economic governance is achieved.

There is one thing of particular concern for us and which requires a special importance; this is inclusion and especially political dialogue between the government and the opposition. We as European Union will try to do everything to restore dialogue and to have an open and frank public debate on all these issues related to Albania. The European Union is ready, as it has always been, and we are very committed to helping the Government, but also all forces in the country, so that Albania can move forward.

Prime Minister Rama: Thank you. I will do a summary of our views on the report, referring to the text, and then we will answer your questions.

Firstly, the report confirms the very positive assessment of the European Commission for the concrete achievements of the Government and, what is more important to us, our will as a government to prove with facts the deepening of reforms for modernization.

In this respect we receive as a strong encouragement the Commission’s assessment that the Government has shown a willingness to act decisively to prevent corruption and fight against it; that fight against organized crime, carried out with serious steps to combat cultivation of narcotics through police actions in Lazarat and north of the country, is among others a meaningful expression of this will; that concrete steps have been taken in the reform of the judiciary; that Albania is advancing with the harmonization of legislation according to European Union standards, in different areas, increasing the ability to assume obligations of membership.

On the other hand, according to us, the report shows very clearly the path towards the opening of negotiations for accession through five key priorities highlighted by Mrs. Ambassador. For us, the European Commission’s recommendations fully comply with the program and the willingness of our Government to establish the rule of law, to end a history of cancer in the judicial system – and here I will include also the state administration which is a systemic corruption, inherited and aggravated over the years – to continue without any compromise the fight against organized crime and of course, to strengthen all the pillars that are holding the edifice of freedoms and human rights.

The five key priorities have turned into a work plan for the Government, and the ongoing track and guide of the measures to be implemented, envisaged by the joint work with the European Commission, put us on a constant focus.

One thing I want to say at the end of this presentation. We are not taking all these steps and measures because the Commission tells us to do so or because the EU urges us, but because it is crucial for us that in Albania the rule of law is established, that in Albania justice is not synonymous with corruption, that administration does not have points of contact with corruption and that life of citizens is not to hampered by corruption. Just as, not because the European Union requires it, not because the Commission says so or the Report highlights it, but because the five key priorities are also five inalienable instruments for the country’s modernization. We will follow these priorities with increased will and increased pace.

I know give the floor to you for questions, not forgetting that element that the ambassador underlined and which is said also in the Report, concerning political dialogue, inclusion, the return of the opposition where it belongs, in parliament, provided that it is not in exile. We are determined to not be part of the responsibility for the repetition of history, in any aspect. I have said since the first day and this is our line of conduct, from the first day until now. During our government, the opposition will not suffer anything that we have suffered when we were in opposition, during their governance.

What we have considered just for the opposition yesterday, we consider just for the opposition today. What we have asked the government yesterday, we are ready to offer today to the opposition in any case, whenever it is expressed as a need by the opposition.

All these said, I repeat that we are waiting for the opposition to say what we can do and what they are seeking. When we abandoned Parliament, we were asking for boxes to be opened. It was a legitimate request according to us, but not according to them, but it was a specific request, based on concrete grounding and it determined the conditioning of our relations with Parliament. We still do not know what the opposition wants, except, of course, for the Government to leave. But t is not up to us to fulfill this request of the opposition, but to the Albanian people through their vote.

 

Mr. Prime Minister, in the enlargement strategy paper that the EC submitted today to the European Parliament, it is said: “Albania should strictly proceed with this process, namely, justice reform through constructive cooperation of all stakeholders, and cooperation with the Venice Commission”. In your view, Mr. Prime Minister, who should lead this reform, the President of the Republic, the Parliament or international experts?

Prime Minister Rama: We will not argue with anyone on who will hold the flag. We have our share of responsibility and it will fully take it. This means that we are a majority elected by the vote, because we believe that Albania and Albanians were oversaturated with injustice in general and with justice that does not do justice, in particular. The President of the Republic organized a conference. I want to remind you that the conference organized by the President of the Republic was the fruit of collaboration with us as a ruling majority, while we were preparing to launch the National Conference of Justice. As soon as we were informed that the President was preparing for an event about justice, that did not include in the first draft political parties, but it included all other stakeholders, we addressed to the President with a request to include also political parties, sharing with him our ideas on the National Conference and guaranteeing our participation in it, as a meaningful expression, we believe, of the will for inclusion as a necessity.

Again, we will be willing to participate in any activity that the President, other stakeholders, including the Democratic Party would want to organize and invite us to participate. Let us remind you that we will not do anything that has been done to us when we were in opposition. When we were in opposition we organized a conference precisely on judicial reform and we invited the then opposition. Nobody came. Instead, we will go if they invite us. This said, this whole process that can be extended to conferences, roundtables, forums, workshops is not an alternative to the Parliament, but it is complementary to the Parliament. As a ruling majority, we have said and we will bring further the project for starting work on justice reform through a parliamentary committee on judicial reform where, without the slightest doubt, not only the presence of the opposition is welcomed, but also opposition’s concrete proposals for formatting etc.., etc. Our members in this committee, who will coordinate all the work of this ruling majority – because government is only one side of the majority, while the other side consist of the Parliament and all other actors – will be ready, I repeat, to share everything the committee shall eventually prepare or make ready for the parliament with all the actors in any other instance. So, this is not a race about who is the leader. Everyone does what they feel as a responsibility and what they are entitled to by the Constitution, the law and the mandate of the people.

 

Mrs. Ambassador, you said that you are ready to negotiate so that political parties in Albania can achieve dialogue. But while the report claims that the opposition should return to Parliament, what is meant when it is said that the majority should create the right conditions for the opposition to take this action?

Ambassador Vlahutin: People have voted and elected the Parliament to represent them, but it is the responsibility of those who have been elected to properly represent their constituents. It depends on both parties to actually find a way and restore the situation for proper political dialogue for the good of the country. What the EU can do, is to try to assist, help to create the right atmosphere, or to create more space for inclusion, talking with everyone and creating an atmosphere of dialogue, which will lead Albania into a position where Albania will be called and will be seen as a country with a more responsive democracy in terms of dialogue. It is not the same when we are here; we will certainly assist with our presence, but we are not in Albania to lead the country. It is responsibility of those who have been elected to do this.

Prime Minister Rama: Thank you very much. The fact that there were only two questions shows that everybody agrees and is happy with the Progress-Report.

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Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Tirana, Mrs. Romana Vlahutin submitted today to Prime Minister Edi Rama the 2014 European Commission Progress Report on Albania. After their meeting, Prime Minister Rama and Ambassador Vlahutin held a joint press conference on the findings and recommendations of the European Commission for Albania.