Prime Minister Edi Rama at press conference following European Council meeting:

Thank you!

After 48 sleepless hours we are back here at the end of whole that odyssey to share together our opinion about the non-consensual conclusion of the process we have been striving for consistently and of course answer to all questions.

Before touching upon the European Council matter, I would like to share with you an explanation over a concern expressed to me by a considerable number of fellow citizens either in Italy, here or in other countries, about a last night program on RAI TV, featuring an Albanian child found in a camp in Syria. Unfortunately, that spine-chilling program, according to all impressions conveyed to me – I haven’t watched it – suggests that the issue of this minor was a matter of readiness from our Embassy or our Ambassador to Turkey. This completely not true.

The truth is that for some time now I have issued a directive, which is a classified material and I can’t share it with the public because of the sensitivity to the people, families and individuals who are still in that territory because of the men’s involvement in a war for others, as part of the terrorist and criminal organization ISIS.

Our concern has to do with the need to access exactly these camps, where a number of women and children are still housed. We have carried out an identification process in collaboration with the American partners. We possess data on the identity of many people, but, I repeat, they are highly sensitive data, because everyday lives of these people are in danger. Getting these people out of such camps cannot be done neither by embassies, nor by ambassadors, because access and the entire process is extremely complicated and requires coordination with the partners. We have been working intensively. We have a full action-plan coordinated with our main international partners. A number of groups have been involved in this process.

I can’t share more information, but I would just like to tell everybody that if this were a matter of embassies or ambassadors, other countries would have long ago taken their citizens, primarily women and children, who are direct victims of their parents’ wrong choices. They are therefore involved in a dramatic situation that is not their choice.

I have communicated with relatives and the boy’s father and I have explained him this is an issue that doesn’t depend on us. It is not a matter of our diplomatic structures, because it’s not about common refugee camps.

Of course, journalists are granted access to such camps, just like many of your colleagues and counterparts from leading international TV channels have managed to enter and record inside the former ISIS camps, yet the case is not the same. Quite the contrary, carrying out an operation to repatriate and free these persons from such a situation is something completely different.

Expressing my deep compassion and sympathy, I would like to share with you the truth and this is the truth. Most recently, the situation has further complicated because of the ongoing armed conflict in that territory. We will continue to do our job just like we have done to date and, as I already said, we are fully coordinating efforts with our international partners. I believe you already know that U.S. President extended the same appeal to the European nations to repatriate their own citizens, which means that no country to date, including the neighbouring Italy where this dramatic TV program was aired, have taken their citizens, because it is all about a really complicated operation.

However, from the very beginning we have been focusing on efforts to bring women and children home and, in collaboration with our partners, the United States of America and the Turkish authorities, we have managed to collect considerable information. We have established contacts and a plan has been drawn up to take them out of these camps, while entire needed infrastructure is already in place to transport them. Likewise, a specific action plan on their treatment then here in Albania has been already devised too. But everyone should bear in mind the fact we are talking about an area where no authorities operate, and therefore the contacts are established through intermediaries. Their transfer to camps run by specialized structures represents the first step and their ultimate transfer back home will take place at a later stage.

I believe this explanation is sufficient to highlight the fact that the information suggesting this is a matter of readiness and actions by our embassy is not true at all.

Utmost efforts have been done to take what we deserve and nothing more, but what we deserve and it is not me or us saying this. This has been already confirmed in written form by the European Commission, and you have already heard it being stated by a majority of the prime ministers of the EU member states and the German Chancellor herself.

I have received a considerable number of direct messages from a number of prime ministers attending the European Council meeting. We have been in close contact with several of them during yesterday and the yesterday evening. I have also communicated with the President of France Manuel Macron and, indeed, if we really want to look the truth in the eye, the truth is what I have already previously said, following the series of contacts and all discussions, that the process would head to a clashing course between the approaches of France and Germany and the overwhelming majority of member states that backed opening the accession talks. Germany made a move hoping for a kind of compromise by adding a ‘But” in the “Yes” decision during the constant talks between Chancellor Merkel and French President Macron over the past week that coincided with this Council too. The issue has been on talks agenda, but he refused to budge. There has been no backtracking on all the issues you heard for yourselves and at the press conference after the Council meeting he stated clearer than ever before that France will not accept to go on with the same process.

France demands a deep internal reforming of the EU and to transform the integration process itself to the point that another objective is reached for the integration horizon, which means an interaction with the Western Balkans that, according to President of France, can no longer go on with the current enlargement method.

Leaders of the today’s European Union, from President of the European Council to President of European Commission, the relevant Commissioner for Enlargement, like never before, stated clearly and plainly today that what happened is a result of failure among the EU member states to reach a consensus for their own reasons. Of course, I would like to emphasize that it is really an exaggeration when rudiments are added to this essential issue, including the issue of asylum seekers and other pretentious issues.

In such a situation, not only Albania and North Macedonia, but any other countries that have already joined the EU, would have not received the required consensus, because focus is currently being placed on other topics.

Having said all this, it is worth highlighting our request to open negotiations las night was met with a refusal that deserves to be taken into consideration. But we have received nothing more than this. Our path remains the same with no slightest change, because what we have done to date and will continue doing are done for our country. If we have implemented an ongoing justice reform – a reform that actually has not part of the conditions of the now EU member states prior to opening the accession negotiations – but we have done it because it is the right thing for our and our people.

In the meantime, we will continue to fulfil the conditions set forth by Bundestag in its “Yes” vote, namely the electoral reform according to the OSCE/ODHIR recommendations and filling the vacancies in the Constitutional Court. We will then continue with the rest of conditions concerning better functioning of the state and our institutions, not because Germany is asking for it and it has absolutely nothing to do with what is going to happen in the coming months or ahead of the Zagreb Summit. We will do all of these and everything else, without a slightest change in our commitment.

The decision is linked with a confrontation among the big powers within the EU itself and it is a kind of game of approaches and interests, a much bigger game than us, either Albania or the whole region. However, none of the countries have ruled out the EU integration perspective of Albania and other countries in the region.

After all – I have constantly stated and it is time to reiterate it again – the integration process is primarily a process of internal transformation not for the others to like it. It is an internal transformation that aligns the national legislation, aligns the functioning system of the country’s institutions with the legislation and the functioning system of this big family benefiting our people.

I would like to clearly put emphasis on the fact that while those representing the European Union unequivocally stated that failure to reach a decision yesterday is an internal responsibility of the EU, it is unacceptable and unjustifiable that the domestic discussion here suggest that yesterday’s decision was a direct result of failure to deliver on criteria and homework.

We have fulfilled our obligations, not once, but twice in a row. If you were to look at the June’s decision, the European Council pledged to make the decision this October, neither sooner, nor later. The wording of the June’s decision hints that the expected yesterday’s decision was to be made. For long time now, anytime I have commented on this issue, I have sounded pessimistic as I have clearly found out there is a discordance that would lead to conflict.

And the conflict fully emerged a day ago.

The Italian Prime Minister called it a historic mistake.

This was all to serve another approach that is being adopted by the overwhelming majority of the member states. On the other hand, I can’t help but adding that France is one of the founders of the common European home. It is France’s legitimate right to call for a change in the rules within a house that, as French President put it today, is not working.

Having said all these, what remains deeply essential on our part is that we should keep on the path we have already embarked on. We should continue efforts we have been doing to date and keep on building the European Albania right here, because this is what the process is all about. And then matching approaches among the EU members is a much bigger issue than us and obviously our influence on this issue is minimal, or almost zero.

However, if some of the countries have always supported Albania due to their approach and have never wavered in their support for unconditional opening of the accession negotiations, namely Austria, Italy and other countries, through the power of diplomacy and our efforts, since January, we have convinced Germany too, after all that happened, we didn’t have the position we had all this time and especially last night. The Chancellor has done everything to reach a compromise formula and prevent the Council from ending without a text. There is no text. There is no written text. It’s something that happens rarely. There is nothing written because there is no meeting point. It is a major clash for the future of the European Union.

Over the entire half of this year we have been facing a major problem due to what happened here with the primary goal to hurt the process by casting shadow with the main coalition party CDU/CSU so that the bid to open the accession negotiations is refused. We have overcome all this through diplomacy and constant communication through fact, figures and our truth and have gained support of the majority of them, including Mr. Wadephul, whom I have specifically appreciated just like I have expressed gratitude to the Chancellor earlier today, and many important Bundestag members, who were more skeptical than the rest of parliament members.

What remains to be done is that we should continue to deliver on domestic reforms, because there is no other alternative, but European Albania. It is the only alternative. The European Albania is a testament and the only great and inalienable obligation we owe to the next generations.

NEWS 24; Mr. Prime Minister, you said we should keep moving forward. But given that the European Council refused to set a date for the accession negotiations for third consecutive time, don’t you think that in order to clarify your political position it would be wise to ask parliament to hold a motion of no confidence, or probably even a vote of no confidence in the electorate?

PM Rama: I can ask a motion of no confidence in the French parliament. I see no reason for such a motion of no confidence in the Albanian parliament. Yet, I can’t ask the French parliament to hold a vote of no confidence, because it has nothing to do with me or us. I repeat, Macedonia has been waiting for 14 years to formally open the accession negotiations. For 14 years, the country receives positive signals from the European Council, but never the long-awaited ‘YES’. The country was forced to change its name and identity after being given the promise that if such a move is made than the negotiations will open. Yet, here we are. This has not happened. There were many within the EU family suggesting to separate Albania from North Macedonia. This was never an option. We faced the prospect of such a separation back in May and June due to the domestic tense situation, but it has never been a strategic option, because in its very essence the decision has nothing to do with what someone has done and not has done. They changed their name and just imagine changing your country’s name and still failing to receive a “Yes” to open the negotiations. Then, what were they supposed to do more than that? They could do nothing more than this. Unfortunately, this happened at a moment of clashes in history of the coexistence within the European Union.

It is a big conceptual clash between France and Germany and it is not about the EU enlargement only, but other elements linked with the way the European Union works, about which we are less attentive, because we have been rightly focused on our interest. Mechanism is such that it would take just a single member state to say “No” and whole process fails.

I listened to the Dutch Prime Minister saying that Albania has made big, yet insufficient progress. Sufficient about what? Because, if we are to consider progress just related to Albania’s readiness to become a EU member, definitely such a progress is insufficient. But, it we are to compare with what we have been originally asked to do and what we have already accomplished, if we are to compare it with what the now EU members have been once asked and what they have accomplished when they were negotiating, I can say we have done a lot more than those countries, not because we are better than them, but because the process has become increasingly more difficult and more demanding. And if we do this there is nothing to regret, because we do all these for ourselves. We will continue to do a lot more, because we need to do so for our own country. But, when you raise a barricade to the process by raising issues concerning the EU’s functioning and by saying it can no longer work this way, then finding pretexts is not correct at all.

Whichever of the countries that have joined the EU following the collapse of communism would have not received a “YES” to open the negotiations last night. Because the bloc is now focused on the internal rules concerning the EU’s functioning. The President of France was brutally open about what he stated. He has been more open than never before in the public, although these are topics he regularly treats during various meetings. He questioned the methodology of negotiations and the entire process, demanding that the process completely changes, but not calling for our exclusion from Europe. He is demanding that the process changes, according to him, to make the EU more effective, even for the countries already negotiating the EU membership. He branded it an ultra-bureaucratic process and is calling for a change to the methodology itself. It is absolutely his right and nobody can say he is wrong about what he is asking for and his intentions.

But, does this has anything to do with us?

TV KLAN;Actually you already answered half of my question when you commented about the Netherlands. However, I am going to make the question. You highlighted France’s position that is calling for an internal reform of the EU. Netherlands backs France, as you said. What about the Denmark’s vote? Does Denmark’s vote deserve an assessment since that country opposed opening of the negotiations too?

Second part; You highlighted a significant number of messages you have received from the European leaders, but it looks like you have been communicating with regional leaders too. Have you communicated with Kosovo’s next prime minister Albin Kurti? Are your relations tense and do such relations infringe the future of ties between the two countries?

Last question; You commented on what is going to happen after this day. Beside the fact that the sun will rise again, will the new constitutional institutions be formed and the vacancies in the Constitutional Court will be filled? How would you comment the President’s decision to decree a member of the Constitutional Court without waiting for this candidate to undergo the final vetting process at the College of Appeal? Thank you?

PM Rama: I would ask for your understanding because I had not a single second to spare about the President of Republic Ilir Meta over the past 48 hours.

Meanwhile, as for the Denmark’s vote. It is true Denmark also rejected opening the negotiations. Yesterday I met the Danish Prime Minister. I listened carefully her speech at the meeting of the EU prime ministers coming from the Party of European Socialists. Her sentence was simple and straightforward: We are not ready for a new round of enlargement.

We have made this effort all the time. For the first time today, I heard from the President of France saying something he has never previously said, that we are not seeking to become a member of the European Union today. We are just seeking to enter the next stage of the process. And this next stage of the process involves transfer of the EU’s know-how about all the negotiating chapters and succeed in aligning the national legislation and standards through these chapters in order to be ready to join the EU.

I never wanted to admit, though I understand why they do, to talk about this kind of correlation. This correlation is conjured up just for internal politics purposes. The President of France clearly stated today that opening this process is not necessarily translated into membership. I am engaged in a different talk with him and I am most probably not wrong it I was to think all this as a kind of a starting point for a communication about what is going to follow. Because I came across a statement issued by the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia and it is exactly what I have repeatedly stated. I stated it yesterday too when I was given the floor at the meeting right after the Prime Minister of Denmark. If you want to shut down the process, just say it. It is you the ones who can decide as members of that family. But you can’t keep asking the aspiring countries to do this and that in exchange of the accession negotiations. Then comes the day when they claim we face the European elections. I haven’t stated it clearly, but I am going to do it today; you should wait since we face the European elections and we don’t want Albania to become part of the electoral debate here and there.

So it must be clearly understood that this is not to blame them, or hold them responsible. If Albania has failed to fulfil its obligations, then the European Commission were to say affirm it, because the European Union pays the European Commission to verify the country’s performance. I have stated it repeatedly, I stated it yesterday and I have asked the President of France, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and the Danish PM consistently; have you tasked a department with monitoring Albania all the time and providing full information on what is going in the country and the processes taking place in Albania, just like the Delegation of the European Union does here? You don’t. Then how comes that the European Commission, a scrupulous body in carrying out any verifications, is not aware of everything? It is understandable that the assessment then goes from a technical to a political level. However, if today or in the past, even a single country would have said that Albania and its government have failed in delivering on reforms, the Albanian government has made no progress, then we could have considered it a result which has to do with us. Moreover, are Denmark, the Netherlands, or France more scrupulous than Germany, Sweden, Finland, or Austria, in condemning crime, corruption or anything else? No, they have same standards. Someone puts more emphasis, some puts less, someone does less domestic politics on our expense. This is their own domestic politics and is not directly linked with us.

Having said all these, I don’t mean Albania is on a par with Switzerland, but I am not sure whether the EU leaders would have agreed a day ago to accept Switzerland if this was seeking to join the bloc now. You ask a country to change its name and what do you give that country in return? You grant a date to open the accession negotiations, which doesn’t necessarily mean immediate membership. Opening the accession negotiations process is of course a way to give a fresh impetus to reforms, impose more conditions and increase supervision, it is a process of transfer of know-how to build the state and this is what we have been always pressing and will keep pressing consistently. No matter how the methodology would change, how the process will go on, to us indispensable to continue working to build the state right here.

As for Albin Kurti, he has called for a meeting and we will meet together in the coming days. I would be delighted to welcome him. I have heard his statements and remarks. I agree on the need for a fresh impetus to the relations between the two governments and the agreements we have already signed. I think we should move beyond the existing cooperation agreements and I hope that once the new Kosovo government is formed we will be able to fill the gaps that were created with the outgoing government, which indeed failed to succeed in this area. I plan to put forward a number of new proposals and I believe that in order for the two countries to further deepen bilateral cooperation I think time is high to mull plans over appointing a State Minister for Collaboration with Kosovo and establish a point of institutional reference tasked with pushing for cooperation process, supervising the implementation of the bilateral agreements and every other step we plan and will undertake in the coming years. I would of course happily listen Albin’s fresh ideas, now that, I believe, he will take the responsibility and move from the opposition’s poetry to the government’s prose.

TOP CHANNEL; Mr. Prime Minister, an Albanian saying goes “a village in sight needs no guide.” We already saw what happened in Europe and the perspective to join this family is becoming increasingly distant, not because we wish it, but because of internal factors you already mentioned and highlighted. I would like to know your opinion whether it would probably be wiser that all these energies we are spending on Europe can be channelled into strengthening the Albanian nation instead?

Second question; How will the Balkan Mini-Schengen will proceed and when the next Kosovo Prime Minister will join in the same table with other counterparts from the region? Thank you!

PM Rama: The latter will depend on the Kosovo government once the new cabinet is formed. The next meeting is set to take place on November 10 in Ohrid. I don’t know whether a new Kosovo government will be formed by then, but Albin has clearly stated that it is important for Kosovo to attend these formats and meetings and of course the Kosovo government is not just welcomed, but it is invited to attend. No agreement has been signed at the Novi Sad meeting,  and I would like to reiterate this since I happened to hear people saying the accord has been already signed there. A joint declaration has been issued and we have agreed on an initiative based on the four European Union rights, namely the free movement of people, goods, services and capital and the initiatives aims at ensuring these four rights in our region. In this aspect, the initiative is not exclusive. On the contrary, it is inclusive. It would be a great mistake that this moment when we expected to receive a “Yes” to opening the accession negotiations we consider it a moment when we should question Europe and our European future and instead refer to wrong addresses of the past. Our European path, I repeat, is a testament. Europe has gone through glorious moments, tough times and is now going through a complicated phase, yet Europe is our only destination. The shape it will take, if ever going to take place in terms of the Union’s organization and functioning, is a minor mater vis-a-vis affiliation and belongingness to this family and this has nothing to do with Merkel, Macron, or other individuals who lead Europe today, or countries that make up the European Union today. This has to do exclusively with Albania and Albanians. Anchoring Albanians in this political body of European countries is a strategic and historical destination. It is not one of the plans, it is the only plan, because it is the only space where Albanians can live once and for all, not just free but also safe.

TV ORA; Mr. Prime Minister, in a statement following the European Council meeting, French President Emanuel Macron said proposals were put forward to separate Albania and North Macedonia, as many countries backed opening the accession negotiations with North Macedonia and not with Albania. According to Macron, he has vetoed the move, as he did not wish to raise borders among Albanians. Do you think that North Macedonia has deserved to have the EU membership talks opened and has North Macedonia been sacrificed because of Albania? Second question; President Macron said that prime ministers Rama and Zaev should do more reforms, deliver on deeper reforms and only then they can negotiate several things, but the accession negotiations won’t open in full. Thank you!

PM Rama: President Macron should do a lot more too, and speaking the truth, he himself acknowledges he should do more. So, we should all certainly do more. One thing is for sure, that we have done everything in order for President Macron and everyone else to say “Yes” yesterday and open the accession negotiations. If they failed to do so, this has nothing to do with us and the pretexts that are being constantly found and which is something not correct at all, because the President’s position towards the yesterday’s topic is a conceptual approach against the way how the European Union works today. His rejection to the proposal put forward by few countries, not the majority of them, was not accidental. It is a coherent position in full accordance with his concept to change Europe itself. We are at a historic moment for us and Europe itself and these two do not match. It is something very temporary and not eternal.

Germany never wanted to separate the case of the two countries. Taking a clearly strategic position and this debate within Germany’s ruling coalition goes on for over six months, but Chancellor Merkel has vetoed the idea of separating Albania and North Macedonia. So, the claims suggesting that North Macedonia has been made a scapegoat because of Albania are a preaching work by those who did whatever it took just to hamper this process and did their utmost undermine Albania.

No, it is not true.

The truth is that Albania has absolutely a lot to do. Nobody has ever questioned this, but the remaining question is: “Has Albania done all it had to do in order to formally open the EU accession negotiations?” I can openly state that Albania has done a lot more than any other country prior to opening the negotiations, not because Albania is better than other countries, but because Albania has been asked to do a lot more than any other country, because the enlargement process has kept becoming difficult. If we were to go back in time, the process for any new country that has walked this path has been getting more difficult.

But regarding the topics high on today’s agenda, namely the justice system reform, which we have pushed beyond all pre-established frameworks for others before; solid results in the fight against organized crime and corruption, in the case of other countries that have already joined the EU, these all have been issues which were to be addressed once the negotiations concluded; whereas we have been asked to tackle them all before we could start the negotiations and this all not because any reason, but because the methodology has been changed in the process.

And this is what the President of France says, that there should be reversibility in the process. The process has been already reversed. The European Council can reverse the process at any moment and it can block it at any moment. It would take a single country saying “Stop”, I no longer want to back opening other chapters with this or that country for certain reasons and it just happens.

Let’s be realistic. What we should figure out from this process is that we have already entered a stage with the game of interest being much greater. We are no longer at the stage where it would merely take few agreements and decisions of a relative weight. We are now at the stage when there is a great deal of debate inside the European Union and we are looking to enter another level.

It is also very important to realize that we ourselves have contributed to a considerable part of these pretexts.

Talking about all those details is quite legitimate, but let’s always go back to one point. What are we looking for today?

We are not seeking to become members of the European Union today. It is just like the case of the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court seized being operational due to the vetting process. This is a success. The reform worked, vetting worked. This is not a failure, because it was not us to collapse the Constitutional Court through an illegitimate mechanism or through a government decision. No, this all happened because of the vetting process. Of course, the Constitutional Court is needed in order to further move forward, because we entered another phase. But for now this is a success and it is not only me saying this. This has been exactly confirmed by the German Chancellor; For now, this is a success, but the vacancies should now be filled and the Constitutional Court should become operational.

Syri TV; Mr. Prime Minister, do you feel responsible for the fact that Albanian citizens rank second for asylum applications in France, according to data published by Eurostat just few days ago. Albania was the only country in the region ranked among 30 countries around the world for the high number of citizens applying for asylum.

Second question; There was no separation between Albania and North Macedonia regarding the EU membership negotiations. But, will there be a moral separation if Zoran Zaev keeps his word and steps down as prime minister of North Macedonia? Thank you!

PM Rama: Thank you for the first question. Yesterday I had a conversation, among other things, with the Prime Minister of Portugal. Last year, Portugal was the country that registered one of the highest economic growth in the European Union. Portugal is the country where the current Prime Minister was recently reconfirmed with a spectacular election result. However, some 50, 000 people left Portugal exactly on the year when the country recorded highest growth. 50, 000 people last year alone and I don’t exactly how many others have left Portugal over the past few years. Portugal has lost 500,000 human resources. Portugal, today, has set a € 6500 reward for everyone who will return back home, yet this policy is not working. It is quite simple; the world has changed. It is no longer the world of 10 years ago, although the movement of Albanians has not changed if we are to refer to the official figures. If we refer to desires or the propaganda need, then this is completely a different issue.

Italy has built one of the world’s most successful health systems today, especially in Northern Italy. Yet, Italy faces a real shortage of medical care personnel. Hospital centres in Southern Italy face serious shortage of health personnel, because they leave for Germany, Great Britain and Northern Europe.

Croatia is a EU member state. Some 100,000 Croatians have registered with the employment offices in the Federal Republic of Germany last year. Are they different from Albanians? They are citizens of the European single market and there is no need for them to ask for asylum based on socio-economic status. They can travel freely. They take the car and drive to any EU member state and register with the employment office the very next day.

All these are not specific issues concerning Albania. It is true that the number of Albanian asylum seekers is high, but not that high as to shake France. Let’s be clear on that. Germany is the most popular destination. Why the number of Albanian asylum seekers has dropped in Germany and has increased in France?

This is because, when faced with this problem, Germany changed the asylum regime. That’s why they move to France, because this country has a more relaxed and slower asylum regime. It takes at least one year to receive a response about your application. And every asylum seeker receives monthly cash allocations during that year. These people, I do not judge them, on the contrary I think that these people should not be judged and this is a phenomenon that cannot be fought by asking the Albanian government to do so. We have done our best for this and are working with France and the number of Albanian asylum seekers has dropped compared to the previous years. French Interior Minister, who then resigned for other reasons, was the most fervent hardliner, strongly rejecting the “Yes” to the accession negotiations last year and he has visited Albania and it was right here at this room, where he said that if we were to do what you are saying, then I would ask President to open the negotiations. From a hardliner, he become our country’s advocate to open the accession negotiations and he was the first to acknowledge that whole this process was not merely a matter of what we do, but French President has a completely different approach to the process.

So, what are discussing for? Is that for politics? That’s quite easy. Let’s blame the government why Albanian citizens leave the country and return back home. Take a look at a recent survey conducted by Tim Judah and which was published few days ago. Look at the number of Albanian asylum seekers and compare them to the number of asylum seekers from other countries. We are neither top list, nor bottom list. Albanians have always travelled around the world. They were isolated by Enver Hoxha for 50 years. They used to leave, are leaving and will be leaving. This is the world we live in today. The problem facing Albanians is that being outside the single European market they are forced to seek other ways, including applying for asylum. The majority of people who travel to France in order to apply for asylum there do not travel via Tirana airport, because of the strict controls, but use other airports in the region. This requires a better coordination to prevent human trafficking.

It is incorrect, as it is incorrect that Albanians are targeted in another country, considered to be the embodiment of any wrongdoings, and all this is being done for domestic politics.

You already heard French President saying: How am I going to explain this to French citizens? He said it in French for his French people to listen. This is the truth. But all these are abnormal. I am not going to blame anyone. They are all in their right to defend their interests and to do what is best for their own country, but also what is best for their own political campaign. But telling you to do this and that in exchange of opening the negotiations, and then wait for me to have the European elections, that means you should have to wait for I have another interest. No place can be perfect. In the today’s European Union, half of the countries that have already joined would never be given the chance to do so. But this is temporary and it won’t last forever.Mr. Prime Minister, does Albania stand any chance to make the Constitutional Court operational and finalize the electoral reform by early 2020 when EU enlargement is to be discussed again? To DP in opposition blames and holds you personally responsible for the negative decision by EU leaders regarding the accession talks? Do you feel responsible, Mr. Prime Minister?

PM Rama: It is absolutely true I am the one to be held responsible why France and Germany have adopted two different approaches to the future of European Union. I failed in my efforts to convince and bring them together in perfect harmony. It is my responsibility why the European elections take place at the same time when a decision on the accession negotiations should be made and such a decision is then postponed. It is my responsibility why the overwhelming majority of the member states, starting with Germany, say “YES”, whereas France and two other countries, just for their own reasons, say “NO”. These are certainly all my responsibility. It is for sure that if those claiming to be “the united opposition” were in office now, then the country would have opened the accession talks. If instead of Gent would be serving, so to say, Nard Ndoka, then consensus among the EU member states was to be granted prior to the Council meeting. They would also have invited him to join them in the informal dinner and ask him to share opinions about the future of the EU. These are totally normal things and I do understand them. However, they have nothing to do with the today’s topic.
As I have already stated, we will finalize a new electoral reform in parliament, in line with the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, ahead of the new year. Early next year, we will be ready and absolutely open to talk on reform’s other aspects. Entire process will go through a two-stage reform. One of the most debated issues is our proposal on the right of migrants to vote. We won’t be able to include it in the first phase of the reform, as we are primarily going to deal with the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations first and this process is set to conclude by end of this year, thus addressing the first condition set by the Bundestag, which indeed is valuable for Albania and our electoral system, because it will no longer include political parties in the election commissions. This will be finalized before year-end, no matter whether those who hold me responsible why the EU is not working properly want it or not.

Mr. Prime Minister, returning to the issue of the so-called Balkan Minis-Schengen, would you press for a stronger Balkan Schengen to counter the EU moves to raise its barricade? At the time when I was born, Albania embarked on the EU integration path. How long am I going to wait as a citizen of this country – more than 20 years have passed since then – together with my peers to become a European citizen enjoying equal rights just like my peers in Europe?

PM Rama: At the time when I took the streets calling for Albania to become just like the rest of Europe, I had a full head of hair and I guess that if we were to let my beard witness the day when this is going to happen, then it may grow longer than your hair before your wish comes true. However, in spite of this, this is a long path and Albania today is more European than it used to be when you were born.
A lot of things have changed and a lot of other things have yet to change. Don’t forget our grave legacy. We are not like Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic or any country, you name it. We have gone through long isolation periods, one over 500 years and the other over 50 years. So, the third time will be hopefully lucky, yet it will go through hard times first. Therefore, we have to work hard and we will do whatever it takes. One thing is undoubtedly for sure; One day you will be voting for the European Parliament here in Albania. This is for sure. When is this going to happen? We will make utmost efforts to make sure this takes place at a reasonable time, but this is for sure. Your whole generation – I am not including myself – will be voting for the European Parliament. Of course, assuming that the European Parliament will continue to exist, because things might take another turn I am now aware of.
What I can say for sure is that this is not a counteraction. There is nobody we have to counteract to. You still keep calling the EU 4 freedoms agreement a Balkan mini Schengen, but I don’t like that term. Perhaps we can call it the Southeast European Union. The have given us this name “Western Balkans” and those who call us by this name always recall images only … It is not a counteraction. It is neither an alternative to the European path. Indeed, it is part of it. We have our country, we have our region, we have our continent. And we are lucky enough to live at the heart of the continent, which people perceive as the greatest political invention of humanity, that is the EU. Of course, it is a project facing currently a crisis, which is temporarily and won’t last forever. Our region offers tremendous potential, which we need to tap into. So, in other words, this is not counteraction. There is nobody we have to counteract to. There is no anti-Albanian clash. There is no decision against Albania. No decision against Albania has been made.
It is a decision currently not fully fitting our interest and expectations, yet they represent the big powers, while we are small nations and therefore we can’t decide over the transformation process of the EU. However, there is no place for counteraction of whatsoever. Europe is the spirit of this nation and the two can’t be separated. They have been never separated from the embodiment of this nation, which has made Europe its own inseparable culture.

Mr. Prime Minister, would you call for a motion of no confidence and early elections following France’s “No”, thus satisfying one of the opposition’s demands too? Secondly, in his remarks today, French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted Albania’s progress, yet he put emphasis on the fact that asylum seeking remains a major problem. Why asylum seeking specifically worries France and are Albanians to blame for asking asylum?

PM Rama: I think I provided an answer to this question and I don’t like to comment again why Albanian citizen travel freely and why some of them apply for asylum, because this aspect includes a dark side, that of the criminal networks, which mastermind illicit trafficking. We are cooperating with the French authorities and we have done significant job.
But of course the President had to tell this to French people. Meanwhile, as for the motion of no confidence just to meet one of the demands and satisfy the opposition, I think we have absolutely a lot of things to do and we can’t afford wasting time. We have a lot of things to do and it is out of question to satisfy someone who has nothing to do, or is unable to find himself an occupation.
I am talking about those dealing with politics, who claim: “We have forwarded the platform, implement it or move aside.” I am talking about them.

Now that our country’s bid has been turned down, this comes at a cost. How much money are we losing due to the failure to open the negotiations and what are the guarantees you would offer to foreign investors in order to convince them to invest in Albania, a country that is not in the waiting room of the EU?

PM Rama: First of all, Albania is in the waiting room of the EU. Secondly, I hope we will be soon ready to launch two or three major investment projects we have been working on for years. There is nothing to worry about in this aspect. What we need to do is to keep improving the business climate in the country, keep improving the way how the state works vis-à-vis investors in terms on bureaucracy. Nobody considers it an exclusion from the European future.
Only those seeking to play politics can term it as an exclusion from the European future. But this is absolutely not the case. This is a topic up for discussion and I don’t know what will happen to the enlargement methodology. It is a process of internal evolution within the EU. Serbia and Montenegro are already negotiating. The methodology will change for them too. So, it is a EU enlargement methodology change. We should clearly understand this and there is no fatality at all.
Regarding money wasted in this respect and this is something I have been repeatedly saying throughout this time to all those I have had the opportunity to meet, that this is something that does not cost you a thing, and we need a lot to move forward much faster and better build the European state we want for our children, and not for you. But of course, by becoming like you, we become an integral part of yours.
In his today’s speech, President of France reiterated – I have listened and taken notes of it – I don’t what shape it will take. He is calling for a new economic approach to Western Balkans. I think you heard him underlining this. It remains unknown how this will be articulated because it is currently in a hazy form, but I tell you not to be pessimistic about our process and we need to do our utmost to make things better here for ourselves, for our people, for our children. The better we get here, the more opportunities we will be offered to have our place and our voice be heard in every way that the European Union is configured.
Thank you very much and we will be here to talk about any new development in the non-EU front.