Prime Minister Edi Rama’s speech following the European Council’s decision:

 

Honourable parliament and cabinet members!

What by yesterday’s afternoon seemed completely impossible finally became possible last evening. After months-long daily efforts amid tidal waves artificially triggered by the Albanian Esadist opposition, which spared no foreign ear to throw and drag Albania’s name through the mud and after 72 hours of stormy seas amid internal waves of an European Union involved in internal pressure and tension among the member states, Albania finally received a date on the formal opening of the accession negotiations. The start date also gives a green light to entering the preparatory process for the EU membership talks.

Sad but actually true that while we received congratulatory phone calls from our European friends and serious European media reported the European Council’s decision to pave the way towards starting the negotiations with Albania and Macedonia, our Esadist opposition and the opposition leaning media kept throwing the stones of their proverbial vulgarity to spoil the Albanians’ long-awaited day after strenuous and multiple efforts all over this time.

“The date was postponed; Europe refused the narco-government.” What a vulgarity!

What a wicked act against our common homeland!

What a betrayal of those Albanians who love Europe just like everyone else and have entrusted their vote and representation in the Albanian parliament to these grandchildren of Esat Pashe Toptani!

Is it possible to postpone a date yet to be set!

How can the Council of European Union member states agree to set a date for opening negotiations within 12 months with a country “plunged into crime, drugs, corruption” and give the green light to launch preparations for the negotiation process with a “narco-government!”

How can one speak so badly and wickedly against his own homeland and how one can so brutally maltreat his own voters as if they were a bunch of blind people, who should be sent to war and fight for the interest of a handful of infidels and renegades!

Together with Ditmir, since Albania received a clear recommendation from the European Commission to open the accession negotiations and the issue was taken from a level of technical objectivity to another level of political subjectivity among the member states, we had to carry out a record number of the highest-level communications with the member states. We have also seen and heard things that no one would trust and believe me if I was to write the next volume of the book “Kurban” (Sacrifice) on this subject, two volumes with the titles “Europe to be a sacrifice” and “Europe to be scapegoat” would be produced.

But no thrilling climax of these two volumes would outdo the climax of the climaxes of this story, either for us or our European friends, who feeling shocked, surprised and confused used to ask us: how it comes that your opposition so passionately wants to block Albania and the opening of the negotiations?

How is it possible that your opposition is doing this when no other opposition of any country that has gone through this process has ever done this?!

How is it possible that your opposition pays the media in our countries to tarnish the image of your country in the public eye and meeting every anti-EU MPs and sceptical in our parliaments in order to unleash whomever possible to speak against pro-EU governments?!

This is the question: How is it possible?!

And sadly for Albania and the Albanians, this is not only possible, but it is also the only opportunity when dealing with such an opposition, just like a curse which has been haunting us everywhere, street-by-street, door-to-door, in every conversation, from one capital to another, but this has ultimately helped us to better understand our internal concerns on the path of reforms, to really appreciate our accomplishments thanks to the reforms and better and clearly understand Albania’s need to enjoy support in its efforts to press ahead with reform efforts according to a well-defined and clear agenda of actions and a date of set on the calendar for our reformist government.

For anyone who might not know, I would like to reiterate and I want everyone of us to reiterated in the coming days that the date to start the negotiations in the Council of European Union member states is never immediate after the positive recommendation, but there is always a time span which is directly linked with the domestic policies of member states and the indispensable consensus among them as the only decision-making mechanism in the European Council.

This was the essence of the very complicated and tense 72-hour debate among the 25 countries which sided with Albania and Macedonia, by seeking even an immediate date with the goal of applying in the end Serbia’s and Montenegro’s precedent, when a deadline was set in both cases to open the negotiations, and 3 other countries, which for 70 hours refused to set a date by leading the entire process to a halt.

Setting finally a date, in 12 months starting from today and giving the green light to start the preparations for the negotiations with the European Commission is absolutely an optimal compromise solution, which ultimately cements Albania’s membership perspective, not by writing beautiful words on the progress, but by setting a calendar approved by the European Council. The same thing and same deadline was set for the neighbouring and friendly Macedonia too.

So everything went completely different from the smear campaign launched by our opposition’s Esadists, who for 72 consecutive hours banged the drums for the deluge that was to pour over Albania and held forth that Macedonia’s bid to open the negotiations was to be handled separately, without taking care at all about the fact that Albania risked international humiliation, because as such would be either the dateless version, or the version of a separate calendar between the two countries.

The devilish people in our own home, not only attacked the public opinion by blowing smoke and mud, pretending as if quoting reliable resources, but they bragged about their mischief.

What about now?

Is there any Albanian with eyes to see and ears to hear, with their head on shoulders who would be still thinking unable to figure out what it has been achieved through hectic diplomacy and also thanks to the battle of our many friends in Brussels, but also thanks to the respect of our French and Dutch friends, who, despite their rigid position, accepted and agreed to listen and keep listening to our arguments until they finally recognized our merit, becoming part of the solution, despite their internal problems and their really different approach to the EU enlargement process.

Is there any wise Albanian who would turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the stubborn fact of this national, political and diplomatic victory of the future over the past and keep on trusting the opposition talking utter nonsense as always?

Is there any normal men who doesn’t really understand that we are to be criticized, as severely as you please, for the many things we can, should and will do better, but to us, Albania’s European state building is not a slogan, but a vision, is not a word, but a program, it is not an action on the spur of the moment, but it is a daily struggle with the past, where the victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats, where there are no accomplishments only, but also mistakes, but also confrontations, lost ambitions in a harsh inherited reality and in an Albania always seeking to regain and make up for the lost time.

The date for the formal start of the negotiations talk has been set for next June once Albania completes whole preparatory work, which will start immediately. A European Commission’s team will arrive and start the screening process in July, but also after the elections to the European Parliament, which were not a minor political obstacle to gain a nearer date for the opening of negotiations.

But the fact is that neither Albania nor Macedonia will be wasting not a single day in this process, because the compromise solution provides us 12 more months to deepen implementation of the reform efforts and take all required steps during the preparatory phase of the negotiations, steps that should have been made even if the opening date was hypothetically today.

I would like to say two words about the conditions the Esadist opposition has been holding forth, as if these conditions were “new chunks over the old imaginary tail of failure” they have been so fervently praying for, but which luckily for Albania and to their shame it simply remained their political and moral failure that continues today and will continue to cherish the ugly propaganda of smear campaign.

The truth is that no new conditions have been imposed on order to earn a date for the negotiations, but there is a date set for opening the formal negotiations, a deadline that Albania and Macedonia should both meet on the condition they keep on delivering on the ongoing reforms and deepen their implementation. There could be nothing more normal than this in a process like that of European membership, where everything, not only today, not only until the date of the opening of negotiations, but until the last step before the membership signature is put, is related to the fulfilment of a set of conditions in order to become a worthy member of the European Union.

All this stage’s conditions are no more, no less than we should and had to do with or without a date for the formal accession talks. The vetting process will continue on a new irreversible path in order to clean the palace of justice.

No matter whether a date for accession negotiations was set or not, the special Prosecution Office, SPAK, and the National Investigation Bureau will be definitely established as stipulated by the law already adopted.

No matter whether a date for accession negotiations was set or not, the battle to build Albania’s European state and strengthen the rule of law will definitely go on, first and foremost starting with the fight against crime and corruption and efforts to further combating the phenomenon of illegal asylum seekers and all other reform efforts already underway and which are high on our daily work agenda.

We fully agree on the requirement to address the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations on a new electoral law and such a requirement comes just like a gift from heaven as the opposition will no longer be able to play the hide and seek game with such a very important issue by inventing demands which are not part of the recommendations’ framework and refusing an essential and long-standing OSCE/ODIHR requirement to depoliticize the election commissions.

So it is quite simple. We need to implement our program in the second year of our term in office, which is completely in full compliance with the obligations to the European Union over the next 12 months.

What will not be easy is obviously the rest, our internal part that has to do with the precise functioning of the network of negotiators in this full preparatory year for the negotiating table. To this end, a meeting will be held at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs after two days together with the Minister and the Deputy Minister, who will be tasked with leading the whole technical process.

Dear friends and honourable colleagues,

Allow me that on your behalf and on behalf of all our citizens to express today the gratitude and avail myself of this occasion to extend the special thanks and appreciation to the great friends who helped us so much at this crucial moment for the future of Albania. Because, better than anyone else I know, as Ditmir also knows, with whom we have been holding a mindboggling number  of meetings, talks, and messages in a foreign language over the past months – we’ve just had a couple of nights on the phone consulting each hour about the latest communications – but you and everyone else should know that without the help of the friends who stood by Albania, especially in the 72-hour battle that preceded the solution, our country would have remained in the open sea, at the mercy of winds blowing against the Europe’s enlargement, even in some key European countries.

And if we were to miss an anchorage date this time, then God knows how and when a second chance would have been given during a summit of the member states in 12 months time when the European Union should brace for the storm of the upcoming elections to the European Parliament.

This is true, not because an occasion speech should be delivered, but it is true that I wrote this part of my speech, because I really felt pretty well experiencing the fact that Albania has found many true friends over this period. True friends who were not satisfied at words of courtesy, or a principled support, but they fought and persevered to ensure that a date for our ship to dock at the port of EU accession negotiations was set. New and old friends, I am and we all are deeply grateful and thankful to; from the German Chancellor Merkel, who – I can say it today – made it clear at our Berlin meeting that the months ahead would be tough ones and that she would back us on our bid to open the accession negotiations to the French President Macron – I can tell this today too – that he flatly told me at our first Paris that he found it very difficult to say “Yes” for an accession talks date for obvious and understandable reasons, which had nothing to do with Albania. But at the same time he promised that in respect for our government’s impressive reforms he would explore the opportunities for a positive solution.

It is my pleasure to add that if nothing unpredictable takes place this autumn, a French President will visit Albania for the first time ever and I am convinced that once he sees for himself this country, our ties will become stronger and France’s role in Albania’s and the Western Balkans’ positive performance will definitely grow.

This was exactly what happened to the Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel, to whom I owe a special thanks because he came to Albania somehow unconvinced and suspicious of the attitude regarding “yes or no date ” and after his impressive visit to Tirana, as he has described it, he became one of the strongest voices in defending the idea that a date for opening the accession talks should be absolutely set for Albania.

I am pretty confident the same will happen to the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a friend with whom we were engaged in heated debates, but who has always showed full respect for our efforts and accomplishments and who eventually did not exercise the largely speculated Netherlands’ veto, but instead became part of the positive solution and therefore knowing quite well the dynamics of his own country, as well as his somewhat specific ideas over Europe, I would like to sincerely thank him very much for the useful concession he made in Albania’s and Macedonia’s favour.

Meanwhile, I am not exaggerating at all by saying that it is really hard, but it turns to be really difficult to find the right words to express the appreciation for our Greek and Italian neighbours and friends. Their governments not only provided us support, but they really represented us in absentia with all the power of special recognition for the region and with all the strength of a renewed friendship, even after the difficult period of relations between us and Greece, or after the radical change the new government brought about to Italy.

Therefore this is the case to express gratitude to ministers Kotzias and Moavero, who did for Albania and Macedonia nothing less than our two foreign ministers would have done at the European Council ministers.

A wholeheartedly thank you to Prime Minister Tsipras and the Prime Minister Conte, whom I am looking forward to meeting and express my gratitude in person.

It is a quite long list of the friends who supported Albania. We will send letters of appreciation to each and every one of them, starting with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, a brilliant mind from Poland, who deeply understands how important is Europe to the Balkan countries, but also how much important is the Balkans to the united Europe, the Prime Minister Borisov and the Bulgarian Presidency, Swedish Prime Minister and the Prime Ministers of the the Visegrad Group countries and the heads of government of the Baltic nations to the Prime Ministers of Spain and Portugal.

This was the case when the speculations over the alleged the signing of the maritime agreement or the phantasmagorical camp for 600 000 Syrians in exchange of a date for the accession talks flatly dismissed. These were nonsense and speculations that perverse minds of those who think Europe as a club of backroom deals.

Of course, I didn’t forget Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, and the Commissioner Johanes Hahn, just like I didn’t forget the President of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, with whom we have been on the same side of the barricade since the positive recommendation was revealed.

I would like to express gratitude along with the apology for all the vicissitudes they went through to make possible something that until lunchtime really seemed completely impossible.

Thank you very much to Ambassador Romana Vlahutin together with the Delegation of the EU to Albania, along with the apology for everything she has had to listen in the speeches and comments from the Albania’s Esadist opposition.

An extremely special role, and that’s why it deserves a special paragraph, has been played by Austria and the Austrian government, old and steadfast friend of Albania, and of course the Austrian Chancellor. I am confident that significant progress will be made as Austria takes over the rotating presidency of the EU, just like I am pretty confident that we will considerably deepen progress in the regional cooperation during Austria’s Presidency.

Last but not least, I would like to thank two adamant friends, Knut Fleckenstein and Eduard Kukan, two Europeans who did all they could for Albania, as well as all MEPs who signed the letter of support for the opening of the negotiations, although their concrete European lecture of cross-party unification between the left and right parties when it comes to major issues went in vain. Both the left and right MEPs came together in a unified vote on Albania in Brussels.

A big thank you goes to our Social democratic friends in Germany’s grand coalition, especially to the Secretary of State Michael Roth and the SPD Rapporteur Metin Hakverdi. Thank you to our new friend, but a loyal friend to Albania, David McAllister, a distinguished figure in the Chancellor’s party, who helped us immensely, as well as the new friends in the CDU and CSU parliamentary groups, who were very open and very sincere in their desire to get to know Albania closer and thanks to the visits to Berlin and Albania they positively influenced the debate within the group. Another good friend, Rapporteur of the Greens in the Bundestag, Manuel Sarrasin, thank you very much.

Having expressed gratitude to everyone, and I hope so much I have not unintentionally forgotten anyone, the celebration to mark this remarkable accomplishment ends here. This major accomplishment happily coincides with the Scanderbeg’s nationwide year and enriches the calendar of the year with the long-awaited news of setting the date for the opening of the negotiations for Albania’s accession to the European Union.

A lot more hard work awaits us, not only because it is not the end, but it is the beginning of another part of the new and difficult road, but also because we want to speed up and go to the end of this road and don’t forget what I am saying, it was us the ones who made Albania a candidate country for the European Union. It is us the ones opening the EU accession negotiations and we will be the ones who will make Albania a worthy decent European country and ready for membership in the united European family.

Thank you very much to each and every one of you and all Albanians who trusted us Albania’s leadership at this delicate and decisive stage for the future of the children of this country.