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EU membership is a historic opportunity, declared Prime Minister Edi Rama, in an interview with Christian Wehrschutz, a journalist for Austrian television, ORF.
Rama said that from a geopolitical perspective, it is necessary for the EU to strengthen its ranks and accept new members in order to be complete.
"The membership process is a historic opportunity, but it is not an opportunity that will last forever if we are not able to meet the requirements," Rama said.
ORF: A few years ago I had the opportunity to interview you in Tirana. At that time, when you were asked when the EU would negotiate membership with Albania, you said that it would be more likely that Austria would be declared world football champion. Austria is not yet world football champion, but since the autumn there have been concrete negotiations between Brussels and Tirana. What has changed?
Rama : Something very important has changed, the geopolitical context in Europe. And unfortunately, Vladimir Putin's "help" was necessary to quickly restart the integration processes that had been neglected. Budget revenues fell by 3.5% in April, the Government did not spend 630 million euros for the 4-month period
ORF: Will the European Union ease its membership criteria?
Rama : From a geopolitical perspective, it is necessary for the EU to strengthen its ranks and accept new members in order to be complete. But this, of course, is related to the ability and willingness of the candidate countries to be at the required level. The EU can exert political pressure to accelerate the process of rapprochement, but it will not accept anyone who does not meet all the criteria.
ORF: Albania will become a member of the EU in 2030 and negotiations will be completed by the end of 2027. However, four out of six groups are still open. Will the Albanian administration be able to implement all these regulations – two and a half years is not a long time, is it?
Rama : It is true that two and a half years is a very short time and that this is not typical for the process. But, on the other hand, we worked hard and prepared well. And now we also use artificial intelligence, which accelerates the transfer of EU laws and the so-called “acquis communautaire” into our legal system. The accession process is a historic opportunity, but it is not an opportunity that will last forever if we are not able to meet the requirements.
ORF: EU accession depends on the approval of all 27 members. In France, a referendum is mandatory; Referendums are also possible in other countries. Does Albania already have a strategy to overcome the skepticism towards enlargement that exists in many countries?
Rama : I believe that today we should focus on fulfilling our commitments. We should not think about the next game, but about the one we are currently playing. And this game is about fulfilling all our commitments to complete the negotiations. After the negotiations, the agreement is sent to all member states, where parliaments normally carry out the ratification. In the case of France, we will see when the moment of decision comes.
ORF: Albania and Montenegro currently have the best chances of becoming EU members. How do you generally assess the situation in the so-called Western Balkans?
Rama : The Western Balkans have their own problems, but I think the situation has never been better than today. The process of rapprochement with the EU is helping a lot in solving certain problems.
ORF: You further expanded your absolute majority in the parliamentary elections on May 11. You are in your fourth term and you yourself spoke of a historic result. What are your three most important plans for the next four years?
Rama : "European Union, European Union, European Union."
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