TIRANA, Aug 28 /ATA/-By Maela Marini/ Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Thursday that the environment represents the biggest challenge on Albania’s path to EU membership.
At the rollout of the Integrated Waste Management Reform, Rama emphasized that this is the most challenging part of the country’s entire transformation process.
Rama stated, “The experience of other countries that have preceded us on the path to EU membership clearly shows that the most challenging part of the country’s transformation for them was also the environmental sector. At the end of the day, the accession process is a process of transformation, and this is both the most significant impact and the greatest added value of the process.”
Reflecting on the progress of recent years, Rama remarked, “While we have much to be proud of in terms of our achievements, we also face significant concerns regarding the scale of the challenges that must be overcome by the end of this decade, which correspond with our fourth term.”
Rama said, “This is a huge challenge precisely because it cannot be achieved by a government working apart from local authorities, local authorities operating independently of the government, or the state working apart from its citizens.”
The Prime Minister emphasized that “there must be a strong awareness, first and foremost among all those directly involved with waste management due to their official duties.”
Rama further stated, “Achieving this requires strong commitment and an exceptionally intricate organization to engage everyone in the process, because without it, the initiative cannot succeed, and Albania cannot meet its obligations to itself in the first place. These steps, outlined on the path to EU membership, provide a direct benefit to our country and its citizens, rather than to EU nations or their populations.”
According to him, “these are steps that will have a direct impact on improving the quality of life and the quality of the environment across our country.”
“Therefore, it is essential to boost motivation and improve performance across every link of this chain, in all municipalities, which form the foundation, and at all levels—from central government to both large and small enterprises—where we must strive to involve other institutions as well, beginning with schools,” he added.
/sm/
