Speech of the EC President, Donald Tusk, at the joint conference with Prime Minister Rama:

It was a pleasure to receive the Albanian Prime Minister, Mr. Edi Rama in a meeting today.

Let me start by saying that enlargement remains a strong priority for the European Union and personally for me.

However, as I just conveyed to Prime Minister Rama, every step ahead to this road will bring responsibilities and more hard work. But we both know that it’s much better like this.

Albania is now a candidate for a membership of the Union, so we hope and except that it will intensify its reform efforts. The focus should be on the priorities identified last December. This will establish a solid track record and allow for the next steps on the path to accession to be taken. A lot has already been achieved, including the fight against drug-related crimes.

However, what is looked for and what is needed is implementation across all areas. In our meeting I praised Prime Minister Rama for the positive role that his country is playing in the Western Balkans. Its commitment to a zero problem policy with neighboring countries is both constructive and exemplary.

Leading the Southeast European Cooperation Process is another opportunity for Albania to show itself as the archetype of the good neighbor. I also use this opportunity to comment Albania for its 100% alignment with the EU policy in foreign affairs. This is of real significance for the enlargement process, and even more now given the situation in Ukraine and other common challenges.

Finally we talked about the need for increased and improved domestic dialogue in Albania. Confrontational politics, boycotts, and the “winner takes it all” attitude will not help Albanian citizens. To become a modern mainstream European country Albania needs to build a culture of compromise-based political dialogue. This creates the optimal framework for delivering tough but much needed political reforms. It is of particular importance also in view of the upcoming local elections. Albania should be as a constructive and as reasonable in its own political life as it is in the region.

Thank you very much!

 

Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama at the press conference after meeting with EC President, Donald Tusk:

 

Thank you Mr. President for your very warm welcome today!

Let me say that it was a very good day for us and we will go back to Albania with lot of energy for the encouragement we had from the morning meeting with the President of the Commission, and from this meeting with you. We are particularly grateful for the constant support that President Tusk shows to the Albania’s EU accession process. We had the opportunity to discuss, of course, the EU’s enlargement agenda as both a geostrategic and a political project, a project that is at the very core of the Albania’s foreign and domestic policy.

We also exchanged views on recent developments in the EU’s neighborhood, both in the east, Ukraine, and in the south, Middle East and in the south Mediterranean.

Also in the framework of the Albania’s chairmanship of the Southeast Europe Cooperation Process, I informed President Tusk on the recent security, energy and cooperation trends in our region. There is a risk that the Western Balkans might stagnate in terms of democratic standards and also n terms of security in challenging new environment upon which the countries of the region must make considerable efforts to face international threats, and this risk is terrorism. In other terms, there is a growing risk that the Western Balkans will remain at the periphery of the periphery of Europe, especially n terms of economic gaps, and this is something that we absolutely want to avoid. The Western Balkans has the potential to be a success story for the EU. The success of Europe’s democratization and stabilization agenda depends on the credibility and success of the enlargement policy in the Balkans.

In the new security situation, stability in the Balkans grows even more important. The European perspective is crucial in keeping our region on the path of peace and cooperation. Albanian has been consistent and will be consistent in aligning its position with the EU. This demonstrates that we share the values on which European security is built and we want to represent them in every situation, be it a normal or an especially difficult situation. Part of our discussion today focused on the way the EU can further extend efforts to help the Western Balkans become a true region in economic terms.

In this context we believe that the Berlin process is a chance to reinvigorate the accession process and help it to remain a tool that transforms the region into a vibrant and prosperous democratic space. To keep the momentum created by the Berlin Conference, we’re focused on concretely following and implementing the decisions of the Berlin Conference through jointly identified region projects that promote growth, competiveness and employment in our area. We want to make sure that the upcoming conference on the Western Balkans in Vienna in August becomes a milestone for the definition of regional projects.

By concluding, I want to thank again the President for the precious time he reserved for us and to underline that today Europe needs the Balkans as much as the Balkans needs Europe.

Thank you, Mr. President!

 

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Prime Minister Rama had a meeting with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk.

Albania’s relationship with the EU and the enlargement process were the focus of this meeting. President Tusk said that the EU remains committed to its enlargement policy.

He praised the achievements of Albania and encouraged efforts to fulfill the priorities of integration and reforms in Albania.

President Tusk praised Albania’s role in the region and its position with respect to EU’s foreign policy.

Prime Minister Rama stressed that European integration is on the top of the Albanian government’s agenda.

The Prime Minister assured that Albania is consistent in aligning its position with the EU.