TIRANA, Nov. 4 /ATA/ – Albania is not seeking shortcuts to European Union membership but expects its progress towards accession to be assessed on merit, Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha said on Wednesday.
Speaking at an international conference entitled “EU Enlargement: Assessing New Concepts and Outlook for 2027,” organised by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Hoxha said changing geopolitical realities had made enlargement a strategic and security imperative for Europe.
That, however, should not come at the expense of substance or standards, as the need for reforms remained unchanged, he said.
“We are not pursuing reforms simply to become European, but because we are European and because our citizens deserve institutions that meet European standards,” Hoxha said.
He stressed that Albania was not seeking preferential treatment or an accelerated path to membership.
“EU membership must be earned on merit, not granted as an act of solidarity. It is earned through reform after reform, chapter after chapter, standard after standard, by building effective, democratic and accountable institutions – institutions that Albania needs in its own right and that EU membership requires.
“Albania is doing precisely that: implementing reforms, delivering results, ensuring accountability and seeking an assessment based on merit.
“But a merit-based process must work both ways. When candidate countries deliver, Europe must respond. When reforms produce tangible results, those results must be reflected in concrete progress.
“Enlargement is not simply about expanding the European Union. It is about building a stronger, more secure Europe that is finally united in full,” Hoxha said.
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