TIRANA, April 15 /ATA/ – The State Minister and Chief Negotiator for Albania’s European Union accession, Majlinda Dhuka, said on Wednesday that the country is at a decisive and historic moment on its path toward EU membership.
Speaking at a panel titled “The Albanian diaspora as a supporting partner for European integration and sustainable development” during the fourth Diaspora Summit in Tirana, Dhuka said the goal of “Albania 2030 in the EU” has become a concrete and achievable project.
She said the country has moved from the preparatory phase to intensive negotiations, having opened talks with the European Union across 33 policy chapters, and is now actively engaged in the accession process.
“We are now working to fulfil the conditions and move towards closing negotiations for each chapter. This process represents not only integration, but a profound European transformation of the country,” she said.
Comparing the process to Albania’s democratic transition in the 1990s, Dhuka described the diaspora as an indispensable factor in the country’s progress.
“The diaspora is our energy in this transformation. We need your experience, knowledge, innovation and the standards you bring from EU countries,” she said, urging Albanians abroad to play an active role in the integration process.
She also called for broader support from citizens of EU member states, encouraging the diaspora to help improve perceptions of Albania abroad.
The panel, organised under the auspices of the State Minister and chief negotiator, focused on the diaspora’s role as a strategic actor in accelerating EU integration and sustainable development.
Discussions centred on identifying priority areas where diaspora contributions could have direct impact, as well as integrating this potential into public policy and EU alignment processes through coordinated and measurable mechanisms.
/gj.m/a.f/u.sh/
