Speech by Prime Minister Edi Rama delivered at Parliament on accession negotiations between Albania and the European Union:

“Albania is on the threshold of Europe, and it could very soon become a civilized country and become part of Europe.”

This is what Sami Frashëri wrote in the late 19th century. Today we are at the beginning, but not exactly at the beginning of the 21st century and what to Sami Frashëri seemed like a very near possibility, actually has taken another century and even today we can’t still say for sure it is a very near possibility.

To this end, I believe it is highly important that we all try to lift out the debate over Europe and our progress vis-à-vis Europe from our daily arguments and the daily need to trigger arguments by seeking to blame each other and, indeed, lying our own selves and lying Albanian citizens, because this issue is much broader than that and its essence is much deeper than our whole interaction and all reciprocal accusations of who is to blame for why (membership) is not happening.

Today I heard here people asking: “Is Albania ready to start the accession negotiations?”

I believe it is a legitimate question and it deserves a debate, but when it is raised as a rhetorical question than it could be easily answered by providing as argument the Netherlands’ position, or the conditions set by Germany, or France that are supposedly more rigorous than all other EU member states and the supposedly take a much deeper look than the European Commission, which is paid by France, the Netherlands and every other member state to look deeper and deeper steadily, then we walk away from the core of this debate to engage in our traditional way, with each of us seeking to tell Albanians: “I am the one you should listen to and believe in rather than the one who spoke earlier.”

Albania is ready in relation to what?

I believe this is the cause for a real and concrete discussion, and not a futile and pointless debate, which instead of seeking to focus politics and the entire society on this challenge, indeed it aims at completely the opposite, to use some outside arguments as part of the local political infighting.

Each of the EU member states that has been already integrated following the collapse of the communist empire wouldn’t be able to join the European Union today.

Today, every current EU member state wouldn’t be able to join EU. Even the EU member countries prior to the fall of communism wouldn’t be able to join the block nowadays, because the EU is currently engaged in an internal debate that doesn’t include the EU enlargement at all, but ways to overcome a situation that has put the EU in a quite difficult position in relation to other world powers.

The today’s debate between France and Germany, or among those who openly declare themselves in favour of the bloc’s enlargement and those who preach enlargement perspective, yet unwilling to accept enlargement, has nothing to do with arguments being used here for internal political interests, neither with Albania, nor with the Western Balkans.

If we are all really willing to talk and understand each other and help people figure out what we understand, regarding this issue at least, is importantly enough to refrain from engaging in the miserable daily politics. Albania is today definitely readier to start the accession negotiations than all the countries were prior to opening their accession negotiations. This is because the process leading to opening the negotiations has become more complex and more challenging.

Albania is seeking to open the accession negotiations today, but which is the question mark? The question mark is “how much” and “how” France is going to address Albania’s bid and this is quite simple and very clear. Compared to the time when the country was granted the EU candidate status, today’s Albania is many steps forward in meeting the set of required criteria and standards.

I happened to hear someone here saying: there were three conditions, but the number of these conditions has increased to nine. What is this supposed to mean? There were three conditions and, a year ago, the European Council asked us to meet these three conditions in order to have the accession talks formally opened. We have addressed all three. While other conditions are now added, according to you. What does this mean?

If you decide to ask for a marriage alliance and you are told to meet three conditions in order for the marriage to be formed, then you meet all these three conditions, but again you are asked to meet nine other conditions. What does this mean?! This means that the family you are seeking to form the marriage alliance are not ready to do so. Don’t become ridiculous. They are the ones who are not ready.

On the other hand, in relation to which neighbouring country Albania is ready?

North Macedonia, which is justly being seen less sceptically, do you have any idea how many years has been waiting to open the accession negotiations? According to the criteria and according to the criteria imposed by the European Union itself, North Macedonia would have started the negotiations many years ago. But the country is being seen in this way today after having reached a great accord and having resolved a conflict, overcoming a huge impasse. We will all see that a process of requirements and exegesis, which Albania has been subjected and is going through currently, will soon be imposed on North Macedonia, on Serbia and Montenegro too, and that is the process of a justice reform designed to clean the country’s justice from the corrupt judges and prosecutors. None of these countries have implemented such a reform.

How would you explain that EU asked Kosovo to delimit the border with Montenegro in exchange of the visa liberalization, while in the meantime the EU is opening new chapters with Serbia that doesn’t recognize Kosovo at all, let alone to settle the border delimitation?

How would you explain the fact that EU has yet to liberalize the visa regime with Kosovo although Kosovo has already settled the border issue with Montenegro?

From 2014, EU has granted the right to travel without visa to more than hundred million people. Do you know where are these people from? From countries way too far from Europe’s heart than Kosovo. What is this? Is it because corruption and organized crime in Kosovo?! Who is supposedly going to buy into this? Do you? If you don’t buy into it, then don’t make people believe this nonsense.

The European Union is not concerned whether Albania meets or doesn’t meet the conditions. The EU is today engaged in an internal debate, dictated by the internal dynamics and related to a whole period of crisis that has worsened since being overflown by refugees.

I am hearing people alleging that Germany has imposed conditions on Albania?! These conditions are part of Germany’s internal politics and serve its own internal politics only. Why a long debate takes place until last moment within the biggest parliamentary group in Germany’s Bundestag as if who knows what are they granting Albania and there are ‘pro’ and “against” along with these conditions”? Just for internal political purposes.

On the other hand, to put it clearly, has given a “Yes” for one reason only that has been announced a day ago by the Bundestag’s rapporteur and the reason is because the Chancellor has vetoed any idea to separate Albania and North Macedonia regarding decision to open EU negotiations and has appealed for a “Yes” vote on Albania. The parliamentary group was then convinced also thanks to several friends of Albania, including Johann Wadephul and many others in the group of sceptics, but who lead the process towards Germany’s “Yes”.

These nine conditions, indeed are not just nine but 999 conditions and it would be best you learn it too and tell every Albanian about them, because in the integration process we want and should first and foremost build the European Albania right here.

How long have I been telling you that vetting is not just a dismissal of judges and prosecutors from their job as they have amassed tremendous wealth? I have constantly telling you that vetting doesn’t simply implies removal from a job position, but it means total clean-up of the justice system and creation of a new system with judges and prosecutors verified for their integrity and professional capacity and that very system will raise charges against those who have been removed from the old system. Time will come when they will be grilled about their villas, their bank accounts and gambling bills at Monte Carlo casinos. It would suffice that a judge and prosecutor is unable to justify such things and the Vetting Commission decides to remove them from the system and this is where the Commission’s job ends. They are free ordinary citizens. In the meantime, there are many others, including a prosecutor in Durres, who is still working as a prosecutor on behalf of the criminal organizations and is blackmailing the state officials. Arrest him, many might say. You should all know that it is not the Prime Minister of the government that arrest people, but the justice system. And we are exactly implementing a process to build a justice system that arrests.

I haven’t been serving as your Prime Minister over the last 30 years. Therefore, I am doing whatever has not been done over these 30 years. If I was to serve as PM 30 years ago, then we would have been talking differently now and we will be doing so some years later and what I am saying today will become a reality.

Let’s get back to the EU membership topic.

Given that we still don’t know France’s and European Council’s decision; I would like to focus on these two conditions. The other conditions might be nine, and they may grow to 99 or 999 until day comes when we complete all negotiating chapters.

These two conditions are the ones we should meet prior to sit in the table and formalize the negotiation process, which, and I would like to highlight this fact, has been informally launched in technical terms, like never before, both with Albania and North Macedonia a year ago with the so-called screening process.

You are the first one to say Albania doesn’t deserve to open its EU accession negotiations, but we want the negotiations to start as we want to remove the ones in power as soon as possible. It is you and the others who have abandoned parliament are all saying this.

Meanwhile, the simple truth is that the last year’s decision was to be made on the eve of the European elections and they told us clearly, although not publicly, that they would wait for the elections to complete. But is there any correlation between the European elections and the conditions Albania should deliver on? Yes, certainly there is a correlation.

Whether Albania is ready or not to open the negotiations is an objective assessment made by the European Commission. While the European Council is the one that decides politically. And when it comes to politics, as you might assume based on your and our experience, the talk is based on someone’s interest. There is no reason whatsoever and I am not inclined to claim that they are giving us a hard time, because they are not doing this just to give us a hard time. Their primary concern has to do with the administration of the internal situation in their own countries and then the situation within the European Union.

Is the Netherlands more exigent than, let’s say, Finland? Is Finland more tolerant towards corruption and the organized crime?!

Finland is more advanced than any other member state in this aspect.

Why the Finnish Foreign Minister, on behalf of the Finnish Presidency, called for the unconditional start of the accession negotiations?

It’s quite simple. Because Finland faces no internal problems as to consider Albanians black sheep. I don’t know how to explain why the media headlines goes like this: “Albanian gang busted” when Belgians, Dutch, Moroccans and two Albanian gang members are arrested.

It’s purely politics! It is as simple as that.

Therefore, I think that whenever speaking about the government, whenever speaking about our internal matters, everything is okay; the Socialists on one side and the Democrats on the other; one side in the parliament and the other taking the streets. But, when we talk Albania, you that pretend to love so much Albania, whenever taking this floor don’t do an about-face by taking into consideration who is sitting behind you, but think about those watching you. Because these are some basic truths that should be told. When I say these, I do so like a confident European, and not like someone who is confronting the European Union. The President of France is absolutely right. He represents one of the two founding countries of the United Europe and who else more than he has the right to see the Union’s future differently. And while thinking about future, the bloc’s quick enlargement turns out not to be one of the earliest steps to take.

For more than a year, Montenegro has been blocked from opening the negotiating chapters. Montenegro wants to open one single chapter, but it has been blocked. Why? Isn’t the country ready?

We are not going neither to the church, nor to the mosque where all sinners are welcome. We are seeking to join a family of great exigencies, interests, debates and situations where the convergence is extremely hard to reach. It can’t be achieved simply through a majority of votes. Everyone should agree. It would take just a single rejecting vote to halt entire process. It is not my or this government’s journey, but it is a collective journey.

Stop undermining our common path towards the future by telling lies as it has been the case over the past 30 years. Stop taking pleasure at any bad news about Albania and stop acting as bad news disseminator by setting up scenes in order to deliver them throughout the world as if Albanian institutions are on fire.

How would you explain that those who opposed opening the accession negotiations with Albania are at the same time the ones who oppose the EU enlargement?

This means that they see Albania not as their enemy and they have nothing against Albania in particular. However, as soon as Albania emerges, they take and use it as a scarecrow to scare others just for their own political interests. Should we refrain from telling each other and telling people such a simple thing? And instead tell people that they don’t want us and this and that or he and she are to blame. This would be quite easy for me. It is quite easy for me to say what kind of an anti-national operation was the one in the first six months of the year. I have kept saying it until June 30.

I won’t say it anymore. It is worthless. Everyone knows how severely that operation weighed and hindered Albania and how it served the cause of those who oppose not Albania, but the EU enlargement and Europe’s further opening!

Does it have to do with real Albania? Is there any correlation with the conditions, the progress and so on and so forth?

Who said that it would take just these nine conditions to be met and Albania will then become a EU member? No, we should address 999 conditions.

Since many highlight Serbia as example, do you know how long took Serbia to open the negotiating chapters after having received the green light to open the negotiations? 32 months.

Meanwhile, Albania should fill the vacancies in the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and adopt the electoral reform.

How we are supposed to finalize the electoral reform anytime soon while we should first wait you to agree to change the system?

You want the system to change and we should want to change the system too, otherwise the reform won’t be adopted and Albania and Albanians should still have to wait until we all agree and until you decide not to walk out when the extra-parliamentary opposition representatives join the reform commission, or they decide to join this commission without waiting for Damian Gjiknuri to resign.

You should forget this. They should forget this too. If you really are patriots and if you really distinguish between Europe and the Socialist government here, then we should all together and urgently finalize the electoral reform as an initial step. And not to dissolve the electoral reform commission, but instead we sit together and examine the OSCE/ODIHR’s recommendations one by one. The recommendation need neither discussions, nor agreements, because they are put down in black and white. These recommendations can simply be included and signed into law and then we can tell Germany, which advocates opening the accession negotiations today, we met all conditions.

Then we can go on talking and discussing the system, the migrants’ vote, which it would be better for you to agree as we are going to do so even without you at all. By ‘you” I mean you here in the parliament. While those who are not here but say “pull over” remind me a pedestrian under a fig’s shadow telling a car driver to pull over. Where to pull over? They say they have forwarded a plan that I should implement. By which divine decree you give yourself the permission to send me the plan? Who are you? Who do you represent? You have abandoned the people they represent. However, they are welcome at any moment. I have said and I would like to reiterate it, you are all equal to me.

My friends, we should urgently finalize the electoral reform in line with the OSCE/ODIHR’s recommendations.

Those outside the parliament reject it, while you have no reason to oppose it. You call for system change. While those outside say they don’t want it, because one of the things we are committed to doing together is make sure that there will no longer be political election commissions. This is in your best interest to do this, because no matter how the future election commissions will be composed, you wouldn’t have the chance to have your representatives in these commissions. I know you have other ideas, even valuable ideas, but we have our own ideas too that you can listen, although you are not obliged to accept them. They have their own ideas too, but they are not here.

Let’s finalize the electoral reform, wait for the vacancies in the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court to be filled and then tell our German friends – as I already said we still don’t know what (the European Council’s) decision will be, because other countries might make other pretences – and those we owe most in this process literally, not because they have made us a gift, but they have granted us what we deserve to open the negotiations. Let’s us meet these two conditions and positively take advantage of their support. We can’t wait for everyone to agree on everything, but at this point we should agree on Europe you love so much and mention it anytime given the opportunity to speak.

To conclude, and this is merely an example to understand the difference between those who will take this process forward and those who are doing whatever it takes searching for arguments in order to convince those who make decisions in order to block the process. And I don’t mean the difference between me and those who have taken the streets, but the difference between the German Chancellor and those who have abandoned the parliament. Those who have taken the streets claimed here and Albania by sending spam e-mails to the German MPs to tell them that no Constitutional Court is operational in Albania. The Chancellor told them that Germany has asked Albania to implement vetting and clean justice system; Albania has no Constitutional Court, because vetting process has worked. Of course, lacking a Constitutional Court is a problem, but at this point, isn’t it a success that the system has been cleaned, including the Constitutional Court?

This is very simple. This is how someone who is not Albanian argues and supports Albania through arguments and not through the perverse mind of the power struggle.

A good example to remember.

Thank you!