Joint press conference by Prime Minister Edi Rama and the European Parliament President David Sassoli:
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Good afternoon everyone!
We are here today together with the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, who, besides being one of the most influential figures in the EU political scene, I can fully state that he is also a long-time friend of Albania and Albanians and a steadfast supporter of the EU enlargement process, which also means he is a staunch supporter of Albania’s full integration into the European Union.
I would like to highlight that for years the President has also served as chair of the Friends of Albania Group in the European Parliament and he has provided a very precious contribution to the effort aimed at shaping a true image of Albania, engaging in an ongoing fight against prejudices, stereotypes, and against what we have been used to for years as expressions and concepts constantly reiterated by individuals, or groups that do not know Albania and actually have nothing against Albania, but use Albania time to time for the sake of their political agenda.
The most recent summit of the Western Balkans Speakers, Croatia and the European Parliament, an event held under the auspices of the President Sassoli just few days ago in Brussels is another meaningful example of the reason why we feel especially honoured for his presence in Tirana today. We discussed openly. He is a good friend of Albania and Albanians, yet he is not a blind friend and as true friend he has expressed both positive and critical opinions about what we have done and about what we should continue to do here in Albania and together.
The main subject today’s talks were of course the EU integration process, the new deadline to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia and, as part of this discussion, we also talked comprehensively about the government’s new initiative, the special law and the so-called Anti-KCK’ package of laws. I am very glad that the President’s visit today coincides with the first Power of Law operation on the ground. I explained to President the whole scheme of organization and the operation’s program, which, sooner rather than later, will send a clear, very strong and convincing fact-based message to the Albanian public opinion, as well as to the international opinion, on how serious and determined we are to radically change this country.
We have shown this very clearly through the justice system reform, the vetting process and we will demonstrate it again through this operation which will definitely prove successful due to the fact that it is part of the ongoing justice reform and due to the fact that it is outcome of a close cooperation with one of long waited and most welcome body under the justice reform, that is the Special Prosecution Office, SPAK, and the Special Court.
I don’t want to go over details, but of course we talked about a range of issues and giving the floor to President Sassoli and thanking again for his whole support, interest, attention and commitment to keep doing whatever it takes to make sure we are defended by honest and sincere advocates when it comes to Albania, it gives me a great pleasure to give him the floor!
* EP President David Sassoli: Thank you dear friend! Thank you for this hospitality Mr. Prime Minister! I would have wished to visit Albania earlier, but I have been dealing with a busy work schedule. I am very happy, not only about progress the country is making, but we should also appreciate Albanian citizens, because we understand their disappointment, but we have also seen an Albanian society that continues to look confidently towards the European Union. For us, this is a very important motive for investing in the future.
A slow-down happened last year, but the EU membership process should resume. The Parliament is convinced about this, the European Commission is convinced, majority of the member states are convinced, and I am also convinced this is just a delay, but which is being filled with major and incredible initiatives launched by the government; the fight against organized crime, the recovery and confiscation of the proceeds of crime, issues that certainly have to do with strengthening the security in the Albanian space. These are initiatives that we not only favour and support, but they also are vitally important. We have also noticed determination on how dialogue has resumed and readiness to reach the needed consensus in order to advance Albania’s EU membership process. You all know the disappointment and frustration you, whole Albanian society and we too felt, but it is time now to overcome and deal with several questions forwarded to Albania and of course we will have sufficient time to do all these so that the answers are positive and we can convince everyone to continue the journey you embarked upon together, because we share common destiny and common future.
In all of this, of course there are still many adjustments yet to be made. With the Prime Minister we also talked about the banking system, the efforts to establish more and more homogeneous rules.
Of course, at this moment we are also talking about our security issues. These are common issues, which apply to the Western Balkan countries, but to the European Union too. We need to put our economies to work together for our development and growth.
At this moment, my thoughts go out to all of those Albanian citizens who have been severely affected by the earthquake. The European Union demonstrated readiness and provided support and assistance, but a new phase should begin, where we will not step back, but on the contrary want to become a reference point also in the efforts to raise sufficient funds to support rebuilding of all quake-affected territories. We know it would be very difficult to heal the people’s wounds, but we will work courageously in terms of material assistance.
I repeat, we share a common future and this is something that EP favors a lot. It is vitally important to the Parliament to pay attention to Albania, its institutions, as a very important country to us, not only because it is washed by the Adriatic Sea, but also because it lies at the very heart of the Western Balkans and because a valuable works is being done.
I was very pleased to succeed in hosting a summit of all Western Balkan Speakers last week where we also signed a joint declaration. We want to tell other European institutions to do their part. Of course, we do not want to backtrack on our role as the European Parliament in the dialogue. Dialogue with other parliaments will be always open. There is a challenge, actually two shared challenges we face in this regard and I certainly will never cease calling not only for cooperation, but also concentration. Europe has set an ambitious objective, that is the European Green deal. Regardless the EU integration process, the agenda of every country should commit to this objective to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and influence on the climate change issue, which I believe is a very important and very sensitive issue for each of our countries. The second issue has to do with solidarity and security about which we and our societies call upon institutions for more attention, vigilance and initiatives, and I believe collaboration in this area too is essential and needs to be increasingly encouraged. Thank you!
I don’t know whether you have come across a statement published on a German daily and issued by one of President Macron’s top advisers. He states that should all EU member states agree on the new enlargement mechanism due to be unveiled by the European Commission, then France will give up its position about a reform within the EU before embarking on a new enlargement process. What do you think about this statement?
A specific question to Mr. President. As you already said, the Premier has informed you about the newest initiative in the fight against organized crime. Given that you come from Italy, a country that has been waging a major fight against organized crime and the mafia, what is your opinion about this initiative and how effective it can be?
*EP President David Sassoli: It was with great pleasure to read this statement published by the German newspaper. But we know that some governments insisted on reviewing the methodology of the enlargement process. Few days ago, I met with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, who confirmed that a proposal on these changes will be unveiled in the coming days. This gives us in the European Parliament much hope that once some methodology-related issues are overcome, the accession process may resume and speed up. Of course we are convinced that the package should go together, move at the same time and in this case it is about Albania and North Macedonia and we are certainly convinced that with some of the methodology mechanisms reviewed we will be able to overcome this whole situation.
Why the reform adopted last weekend by the Albanian government is crucial? It is crucially important, because some of the EU members’ concerns had to do with specific aspects of the fight against organized crime and of course all standards should be aligned in order to decisively focus in combating the organized crime. This will not only boost Albania’s security but also its capabilities to cooperate with EU member states. I am also pleased about the fact that, of course, this reform bears little Italian spirit too. For decades now, we have been in a state of war, so we have had to fight organized crime in many parts of Italy and this experience can certainly be useful to others. We will increase ability to join our forces in the fight against illicit proceeds, against criminal gangs and the ability to recover illegal assets, which is the strongest point of the package that was adopted last Friday or Saturday and I am confident it will yield a great and important result.
We should manage to launch, open the accession process and then the membership process implies more reforms to make Albania and other aspiring countries to align standards with the European standards. This is why I stated earlier that we should attach attention also to what are being prioritized by the EU, because reforms will be needed in several sectors to align them with our common objectives.  For example, the energy legislation and issues concerning the energy policies is one of Albania’s strong points. I think this is for Albania today a way to better align with the Green Deal objectives that the European Commission and the European Parliament have unveiled at end of last year.
PM Edi Rama: The statement or the comment made by one of top advisers to the President of France, in my view, is a confirmation of what I have repeatedly stated. They (EU) have nothing against us, but it is all about the need to reform the European Union and the need to change the mechanisms which, according to them, should work better. And, for the sake of truth, the proposal for the new methodology contains a series of very interesting aspects and the debate within the EU goes on. We hope that an agreement on the methodology is reached and with that France’s frozen position on Albania and North Macedonia would change.
I would like to add something else. The Power of Law operation and the “Anti KÇK package of laws” is the solid evidence to the fact that despite the fact that no accession negotiations were open last October, although we deserved it, we continue our work just like as if the negotiations were open, because this is something we are doing not because Brussels, Paris or Berlin are asking us to do it, but because this is an imperative to turn Albania into a state up to all European Union standards. It is important for the people to figure out that in addition to the fact that they are rightly impatient, as they have been waiting for so many years, just like it was the case with the justice reform and just like it is the case with the process to clean the palace of justice and get rid of the corrupt judges and prosecutors, the same will happen with this new initiative. Both the vetting process and this initiative will not end here. If the vetting process removes you from the justice system, it is not over, because, as it sets the conditions to build new institutions comprising people with integrity and these institutions, such as the Special Prosecution Office, and these people with integrity will look into the removed judges and prosecutors who are unable to justify their wealth.
The same goes for the Anti KÇK package of laws. If these gentlemen will be asked to prove the source of their wealth and they will be unable that their homes, hotels, business, properties, cars are not proceeds of work, but proceeds of crime, not only they will lose their properties that will be returned to the Albanian people, but they will also go through another cycle of investigation into laundering the proceeds of crime. However, all these will take their time and patience, because many may rightly ask why didn’t this happen earlier? Because it was impossible for this to take place earlier, since SPAK had yet to be established and it was impossible to create the Power of Law Operation and forward the cases to the corrupt judges and prosecutors. Who were we supposed to refer these organized crime files? The prosecutors who will be removed by the vetting process, or the judges who will be also removed from judicial system? Just like it was one of the most recent cases, or many other flagrant cases previously. This operation is now possible since the initial justice reform mechanisms are already in place.

Mr. Prime Minister, do you worry that there is a prospect of North Macedonia opening the accession talks and your country lags behind again?
A question to President Sassoli, do you think that the enlargement and accession process should reform and how?
*PM Edi Rama: Above all, I would like to remind you that right now North Macedonia marks 15 years since it started waiting at the European Council’s door for the EU accession negotiations to begin. The Prespa Agreement has clearly shown that North Macedonia deserved ending this transition, which actually doesn’t necessarily mean that North Macedonia will no longer have to face more future challenges and will stop delivering on reforms. While as far as us, Albania, are concerned, we are pressing ahead with reforms that have never been previously finalized neither by the countries currently negotiating, nor the recent EU member states before having their accession talks open. Still, these reforms are not sufficient, why? This is not because of us, but because of the ongoing internal debates in Europe on how Europe can work better and how to proceed with the new negotiations methodology. It doesn’t depend on us. We certainly know how things work. Sometimes, as the saying has it, there is someone to be made a scapegoat. There is need for arguments. Indeed, if we were to refer to the existing methodology, to what we have been asked and we are being asked for and to what we have already done, I would not say that Albania’s membership talks should have been opened last year, but two years ago. In the meantime, we had again to wait for the European Parliament elections. In other words, like it or not, this has been the case. I can’t hide the truth, but just tell it. I believe it is legitimate for them to do all this, since, after all, they are the heads of the family we are seeking to join in. They know it better. We are just trying to enter this home and join this family. That’s why we should merely do our homework and continue doing our job.
Concluding I would like to clearly state the following: Yes, Albania has problems to solve; justice, the rule of law, organized crime, corruption and whatever else, you name it, but it is exactly because of these problems we are not asking to become EU member today. Why are we asking to open the negotiations at any cost? Because, the negotiations to us mean the know how transfer from Europe to us and the negotiations are a roadmap we need to stick to and follow this path along an accurate itinerary.  This will make us stronger as we will be receiving directions that are somehow therapeutic ones. It is true that a number of friends do not want Europe as we know it. They were the ones to found Europe and it is them wishing to reform it and it is their legitimate right to do so. Something better will hopefully emerge, but the truth is that no country, according to the Commission’s documents, has ever done more than us prior to opening the accession negotiations. No other country has done more than us. Some of them have even implemented reform after they became member states. But, after all, the reforms are being implemented as the country needs these reforms for its own future, for the future of our kids, and not because EP President Sassoli, or the German Chancellor, or French President is asking us to deliver on these reforms. We are doing all these for ourselves, because it is right to do them. We are seeking to open the negotiations, because it helps us to do things according to a methodology and a roadmap, which, to us, is definitely our point of reference and no other alternative.
*EP President David Sassoli: I am very confident we will move forward opening the process. We want this to finalize as soon as possible and a positive response will be provided. As to the enlargement methodology, it is obvious that everyone would like the methodology to be clear as to when the homework is done. In this case, a number of conditions do not hinder the process, although they may cause some delays. We were disappointed at that, just like the Albanian citizens were disappointed when the decision to open the accession negotiations are postponed. But, Albania is now doing an incredible job, which of course will go on once the membership process opens. The Premier said it right, everything that is done is useful and valuable for our own countries. It is not useful to an abstract idea only, but it is useful for the life of our and Albania’s citizens’ so that more transparency is provided, a more intense fight against corruption, the illicit money, the organized crime would help citizens to lead a better life. We have only one objective and I would like to state it clearly as it applies to Albania, as it does to other Western Balkan countries too, that is to reconcile geographical space with the political one. This is the idea we have for a perspective for which Albania’s accession process is really important and strategic and useful and necessary process, just like all other accession processes pertaining to the Western Balkan countries, therefore, reconcile geographic space with political space to be safer, to grow together and have more opportunities, to better integrate our societies, to enable our young people to live in peace and in friendship. I believe that, in the world we live in today we can only guarantee these things. It is this mission that we must put to ourselves. This is why in the coming weeks and months we will show great determination. I would like to recall that the European Parliament, the European Commission and 25 member states wanted the accession negotiations to start last November. It is not a strange idea, it is the idea of the vast majority of European institutions and member states. So, some conditions were set and I believe Albania is addressing them through reforms it has embarked on and Europe will respond by allowing that the membership process resumes as soon as possible and we hope it will.
*Simultaneous interpretation