Prime Minister Edi Rama received today at the Prime Ministry the President of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Gianni Pitella, the vice president of the group and the EP Rapporteur on Albania Knut Fleckenstein, as well as MEP Richard Howitt. At the end of the meeting, the Prime Minister and Mr. Pitella Rama issued a press release:
Statement by Prime Minister Edi Rama:
Hello!
It was a meeting among friends, because in addition to senior representatives of the European Parliament, today’s friends are representatives of the joint family of socialists and progressives, while President Pitella is a dear friend of Albania and Albanians.
We talked about the progress of reforms in Albania, and we talked of course about the key reform of the justice system. I took the opportunity to thank wholeheartedly the mission of the European Union as part of the wider group of national and international experts for the special role in designing the package of this essential reform. Now, the package is in the hands of the Venice Commission. We wait patiently, but eagerly, the Venice Commission’s response through an interim report, hopefully in late November or early December, which we believe will be an important confirmation on the eve of the European Council.
On the other hand, we fully agree, at least in Europe’s political spectrum, that next year should be the year for opening of negotiations for Albania’s membership, given the stable and determined performance of the government and of the government’s majority, to advance a broader reform process of state-building.
Of course we talked also about the dramatic refugee crisis, with flows of people, unimagined until shortly before, who have left their homes due to wars and bloody conflicts in Syria and elsewhere, and are headed to Europe with the intention to go to Germany. I am very grateful for the clarity with which our friends and Chairman Pitella underlined the important role played by the Balkans in this crisis, and the European accountability of Balkan countries to share the responsibility of coping with this crisis, of course along with Germany and Austria, who carry the main burden together with the European Union.
As I pointed out at the summit of leaders convened urgently in Brussels to address this problem, I reiterated today that Albania, although not part of the corridor, is prepared to assume its responsibility and play its role as any other Balkan country, and will do everything to facilitate somehow this severe crisis and be on the side of a major strategic ally such as the European Union, and especially a very important partner for us such as Germany, but also Austria and the whole of the European Union.
Let me give the floor to our dear friend Gianni Pitella, and thank him for his visit to Tirana and in particular for persistently defending our cause for integration, in addition to having always been a great encouragement for Albania, the Albanians, with clear positions in each instance of the European debate.
Statement by Gianni Pitella, President of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament:
Thanks Eddie, on behalf of my colleagues who are here with me, Knut Fleckenstein and Richard Howitt.
I would like to confirm once again the full support, the great and deep friendship that the entire group of Socialists and Democrats Europeans have for Albania, as they have proven over the years when we have supported the most important challenges of this great people, starting from the challenge of visa liberalization, for which the group of democratic socialists stood in the front line in order to achieve that result.
As Italian, I have some reason to be deeply connected with this nation. All of you know the links, even the historical ones between Italy and Albania. Today there is one more reason, an Italian coach who leads the Albanian national team, and who has reached an important objective such as the European Championship qualification. Just as the Albanian national team was qualified for the European Championship, we believe that Albania must immediately start negotiations.
The government Rama has done a very good job in all sectors concerning citizens, and which were required by the Commission, such as fight against corruption, the reform of public administration, economic growth, and social cohesion. There is a proposal for a reform of the legal system that represents a significant progress, and I encourage you to move forward in this difficult sector, which is crucial also for our citizens. Therefore, I believe that 2016 should be the year to launch negotiations. As Edi and I said during our meeting, we cannot be candidates for engagement without communicating. In order to be engaged and then married, you need first to talk about it. So, after Albania has properly done homework, it is right that the country becomes a negotiator, a partner with the EU, so that in 2019 it will be a member of the European Union.
With regard to refugees, I can only say two things. First, Albania and the Balkan countries are teaching us all a lesson of readiness and welcoming skills. Even Albania, which so far has not been affected by this issue, is ready, has declared its readiness, thus affirming the value of solidarity that sometimes is forgotten by some European countries. It is important to note, since this whole space, from Greece which is an EU member, to Slovenia and Croatia, other two member states, this space includes also Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and other countries that are not EU members, is taking on responsibilities as if it were part of the EU. Politically, this is very significant.
The second thing I want to say is that Richard Howitt and I paid a visit to Lebanon last Friday. In Lebanon there are 1.5 million refugees out of total of 4 million inhabitants. One in three inhabitants in Lebanon are refugees, Palestinian or Syrian. No catastrophe has occurred there, no one is afraid, and we the Europeans are afraid of this so-called invasion. We are 500 million people, we cannot be intimidated by the arrival of one, two, three million. We must better organize, create identification and verification centers, and then relocate all the refugees in European countries, thus avoiding that the burden of refugees will be carried by a few countries only. These are the messages that we want to convey all together, while reaffirming our friendship, our solidarity, our proximity and the idea of a common path with Albania.
