Speaking at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Edi Rama, von der Leyen said “Albanians have Europe in their hearts” and praised efforts to turn the country’s European aspirations into reality.

“You and Albania have worked hard to turn Albania’s European dream into reality. So my first message is simple: the goal is on the horizon. Albania is among the frontrunners in our accession process,” von der Leyen told Rama.

EC President said her assessment was based on her regular monitoring of Albania’s progress, noting that she had also visited Tirana last year.

“I can make this assessment because I come every year to see the progress, and since I was here last year, Albania has once again made remarkable progress,” she said.

Von der Leyen noted that Albania had opened the final negotiating clusters and provisionally closed its first three chapters in July, including the chapter on external relations.

“This is very significant progress because it means Albania is fully aligned with our common foreign and security policy – 100%,” she said. “This means we see the world through the same eyes, and that is very important in the accession process.”

She also stressed that the EU and Albania stood together when their values and interests were challenged.

“I want to convey not only to Albanian citizens but also to EU citizens that Albania’s accession will not only make Albania stronger, but will also make the European Union stronger,” von der Leyen said.

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Speaking at a press conference on macroeconomic and fiscal developments, Malaj said the issue was being discussed with the Social Insurance Institute (ISSH).

“Pension indexation is an issue we are discussing with the Social Insurance Institute, also in light of revenue performance,” Malaj said. “We have created the necessary budgetary space to make it possible to move the indexation process forward to June or July.”

Malaj linked the possibility of advancing pension indexation to the positive performance of budget revenues and the social insurance scheme during the first months of the year.

According to figures presented by the minister, budget revenues reached 275.8 billion leks in the first four months of the year, up 11.7% from the same period a year earlier, equivalent to around 302 million euros in additional revenue.

Revenue from social and health insurance contributions also rose by 12.5% compared with the first four months of 2025.

Malaj’s comments come as pensioners await a government decision on the annual pension indexation process, which is designed to preserve purchasing power against changes in consumer prices.

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Von der Leyen also commended Albanian government and affirmed support for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s ambition to wrap up the negotiation chapters by end of 2027.

“My first message is very clear: Albania is on the right track towards the European Union. You have come a long way, you have made progress. And I want to emphasize that there has been a stunning and outstanding record speed acceleration in the last three to four years.

Five of six negotiating clusters are already open. We plan to open the last one this autumn. I know the personal effort you, Prime Minister, and your team, have invested in this journey. Your goal is to close negotiations by 2027. This is ambitious but we like ambition. And let me assure you: we will be with you every step of the way,” Von der Leyen stated.

Von der Leyen also emphasized Albania’s full alignment with the EU’s foreign and security policy.

“Because the geopolitical momentum is now. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has reshaped our continent. Every European nation must choose its place. Albania has made its choice, very clearly. You are fully aligned with the European Union’s foreign and security policy. Together we are acting as one,” she said.

Highlighting economic integration, von der Leyen pointed to Albania’s access to the EU single market and new investment opportunities.

“Getting closer is not only about geopolitics. It is also smart business. We will discuss this at the investment conference later today. Two years ago, we launched the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. The principle is very straightforward. Your economy gains access to our Single Market and new EU investments. In exchange, you deliver on key reforms,” the EC President noted.

“The door of areas of our Single Market is open to your companies and our companies gain a bigger common market. Everybody wins. The Growth Plan has the potential to double the economy of the Western Balkans in this decade. And it is already delivering,” she added.

Von der Leyen provided three examples.

“Strong reform progress has unlocked EUR 100 million in funding, which we are now deploying. Albania is on track to access the full Growth Plan fund of around EUR 1 billion,” she said.

“Second, Albania joined the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), which seemed ambitious at the time. Since last week, transfers between Albania and the EU have become safer and cheaper. Third example is the roaming agreement reached with operators in 2023. By next year, roaming charges between Albania and the EU will be eliminated,” the EU chief announced.

Concluding her remarks, von der Leyen stressed the human dimension of EU enlargement.

“My final message: this is perhaps the strongest case for enlargement, not just economically or geopolitically, but because of the people. Recent studies show that 90% of Albanians support EU membership. Two-thirds of young people aged 15-40 back enlargement, sending a clear signal. The next generation will live in a strong, secure, and united EU,” she said.

Von der Leyen is in Tirana for the inaugural EU-Western Balkans Investment Forum, held October 13–14, aimed at boosting economic cooperation and investment opportunities in the region.

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“The EU is a blessing for a country like ours and for others in the region,” Rama said, adding that “Afghanistan or Iraq have not had such an opportunity.”

The government head emphasized that EU integration provides access to knowhow and institutional models that help countries build functional states that serve citizens.

“Through the EU, we can acquire all the knowhow and expertise needed to build institutions and a state that delivers for its people. That is something extraordinary,” Rama said.

“To achieve this, the EU offers the tools to reinvent ourselves – as a nation, as a country, and as a state,” he added.

Rama said that the upcoming two years would be critical. “In this process, the EU has already helped us – as the governing majority – begin to reinvent ourselves. The challenge now is to continue this transformation, meeting the demanding requirements of the negotiation chapters, especially those that are particularly complex.”

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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you and welcome to Tirana to all of you coming from the region. I am here together with Commissioner Várhelyi, our Commissioner who has been accompanying us all the way and has been instrumental to this very important change of the paradigm. For the very first time, we all in the Western Balkans agree that the European Union is doing not just the business as usual, but is going an extra mile to come closer to us, to support our economic growth and our integration through a new Growth Plan, which is as a matter of fact an out-of-the box initiative.

This is a result of dialogue. This is a result of us pushing to be listened to, to be understood in our difficulties, our arguments and ideas.

Thanks to this mutual exchange of views, we have achieved this very important goal to introduce something new into the traditional integration process; something new that is very concrete and that can take us to a whole new level much faster. The new Growth Plan is a key platform to speed up our European Union accession. It is an instrument that will make this process tangible for the people.

I highlighted the example of the cost of the financial transactions. Many Albanian citizens, as well as from all other countries in the region, live abroad. By working abroad, they continue to help their relatives, their parents and their families at home. For every amount of money they send, the transaction cost is six times higher than the money transaction cost between EU member states.

The new Growth Plan will allow us to cut this cost down to the same rate applied to transactions carried out between the EU member states, meaning that we will save half a billion euros through this only. This is money we will save from the pockets of our citizens and from the costs of our businesses.  This is just one of the so many things part of this new Growth Plan that allows us to develop conditions and conduct the very same processes already conducted in the EU member states.

All these things traditionally happened once a country joined the European Union, but they are now happening before we join the bloc. The other side of the new Growth Plan is funding; more funding for projects and for our budgets.

So I am very satisfied that we came to this point. It hasn’t been easy, but it is truly very rewarding.

On the other hand –before I give the floor to the Commissioner to elaborate more on the Plan – I would like to tell you that all the efforts we have made to move the regional integration forward in the last ten years, now, through the new Growth Plan, have to happen with no “yet”, with no “yes and but”, with no political reasons why not to deliver on this and on that and so on and so forth.

I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to tell all of you that when we spoke, time and time again, how important it was to move faster through the regional path and move closer to each other through our cross-border accords on free movement of goods, people, capital and people, it is now very clear that if we could have done more before, we would have been much closer by now.

So, European integration goes through regional integration. There is no discussion. There is no debate and the new Growth Plan just seals it. So all the nonsense we have heard about the Open Balkan initiative, about this and that, is now clearly exposed like bullshit. Because, this is the way.

And now with the new Growth Plan, today we also had a joint statement that all the six countries have agreed that we have to do this. It doesn’t matter what political problems we have with each other. It doesn’t matter at all. We just have to do this. The European Union is now ready to support us. However, everyone has to forget that it can get more from the European single market, if they don’t fully, 100% contribute to the regional market. So it is about the behaviour of every neighbour towards every other neighbour. That’s why the political issues have to be discussed bilaterally, they have to be sorted out bilaterally, but they are not reasons and won’t be accepted as such by the European Union or an excuse to not deliver on everything that has to do with the free movement of people, free movement of goods, services and capital. Commissioner, the floor is yours.

Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi: Thank you so much, Prime Minister.

You may recall that it was only last November that we made this proposal, but I can also share a secret with you that the very basic idea of this whole growth plan was largely conceived here in this town, in previous discussions we had with the Prime Minister and with the other leaders of the region.

So, it’s not only the idea of the European Commission or the European Union or even the European Council which has decided to set this up, but also the brainchild of the region itself.

And this is why I think you see today that this is the last day of February, and we are already talking about what we are going to implement precisely this year from it. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union is still working on the legislation to be passed so that the facility can be established, so the legislative work is still ongoing, and we are already discussing what will be done. So today was also a big encouragement to us to move even faster.

The Prime Minister mentioned the SEPA, the single euro payment area, which is going to be a direct benefit for the businesses and the people.

But I want to also mention the Green Lanes, something that we started establishing during the COVID, but something that has already saved the people and the businesses only last year – and it’s not even fully functional everywhere – 20 years of waiting time. Twenty years of waiting time is gone, and it can be even more.

So these are the things that the people should immediately feel, see, touch, and be part of.And this is the novelty, I think, of this whole plan, because of course Europe is always very bureaucratic and talking about plans, instruments, measures. But this time I think we are also demonstrating what is the direct economic benefit of becoming a member, and what is the immediate social benefit also of becoming a member, because we can already share it with the region even before they join the European Union.

And the other very important element is that it means that the region can get ready for accession even faster.

This means that we are not negotiating in abstract terms when and how after the accession the EU law and the rules are going to be applied by the Western Balkan countries. No, they already started applying these rules today. So, by the time we get to the accession, this is going to be water under the bridge. There will be nothing to talk about, because it’s already going to be a reality.

The third element I want to also underline is that, of course, we are mindful that participating in a single market is also a question of competition. And the competition in the single market is tough. The competitiveness of our member states relative to the Western Balkans is still very, very strong. So, it would be unfair to ask our Western Balkan partners to participate in a single market where they have less power to compete compared to our companies. This is why we are also dedicating an additional funding to this plan to help all the reforms that are necessary to get these reforms done, because most of these reforms are also coming at cost, financial cost.Financial cost for the businesses, financial cost for the government, financial cost for the society. But we are ready to mitigate this impact.This is why the leaders of the European Council have decided, without any amendment to our proposal in the MFF review – this is, I think, the only part of the MFF review that has been adopted without any debate or change – that 6 billion euros should help the region to get to the level of financial support that you see now within the European Union with the current cohesion of structural funds countries. And we are not talking about abstract terms, we are talking about 2027.By 2027, the region should enjoy the same level of aid intensity.

It means also that one can argue that it will be very difficult for the region to argue after 2027 that they are not ready to join.

And finally, the Prime Minister mentioned one other novel element, something that I think we borrowed from the region again, from the Open Balkan Initiative but also from the Berlin Process, and that is the Common Regional Market. We have already started working on this with the Economic and Investment Plan, but I think now we have moved it to the next level, which means that – which means, if I want to put it in simple terms, if you want to be treated as an EU member, then you have to treat your fellow Western Balkan partners also as an EU member. So if you take the example of the SEPA, this is all very nice that, for example, Albania will implement the legislative conditions of the SEPA very fast, but if there will be another Western Balkan country who is getting there and will implement it at the same time, it means that Albania will have to apply the exact same rules vis-à-vis the other members of the Western Balkans who are also applying the SEPA. And it’s not only, therefore, that running businesses will be cheaper when you are investing from the EU into Albania, but it also means that if you are doing business between Albania and other Western Balkan countries, your business costs will go down significantly.

So, this is also a direct benefit to the region. But it only works – it only works, as the Prime Minister also underlined it – if the region is providing it to one another. If they don’t, then we are not able to help and provide the same treatment.

So, I think what you have seen today will dramatically change the realities on the ground. According to our modest calculations, this plan, together with the Economic and Investment Plan – you should always combine these, because one is built on top of the other – the region should be able to double its economy in the next 10 years.

Thank you.

/u.sh/

After the bilateral talks focusing on ways to further strengthen Albania-US relations, a ceremony took place on signing two Memorandums of Understanding between the two countries, namely:

– Memorandum of Understanding on the Fulbright Academic Exchange

– Memorandum of Understanding on the Framework to Counter Foreign State Informational Manipulation Memorandum,

signed by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Igli Hasani.

The signing ceremony was followed by a joint press availability between Prime Minister Edi Rama and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken:

* * *

Prime Minister Edi Rama: Dearest U.S. State Secretary, dear Tony, it’s always a remarkable day of special meaning in the history of Albania’s international relations, the day when a U.S. state secretary visits our country.  Well, in our books you are the sixth state secretary visiting, but this time we have a special appreciation of this visit, as we are very much aware of the troubled times happening not only in the European world but also in other areas of strategic importance for the global balances.   Consequently, actually this is something that adds especially to the burden of your agenda.  The very fact that you found time and saw it necessary to stop in Tirana is, to us, a very important sign of our friendship but also of your appreciation of this friendship, of this partnership, and of course, the appreciation of this region.

We are highly honored by the visit of the state secretary today, and I could say without any diplomatic or any protocol embellishment that I am very pleased with our open, deep conversation and the level of interaction and understanding between us.

I feel very pleased that your visit coincides with Albania’s – at conclusion of its mission in the UN secretary – in the UN Security Council.  And in addition to extending my thanks to the state secretary, the gratitude for the invaluable support we had from the United States and its mission at the United Nations, their support of our presence in the Council and the support to our success in the course of the two years where we were not permanent members of the UN Security Council. I also extended my gratitude for the very touching message that the United States ambassador in the United Nations shared for the high appraisal she actually made for the work of the Albanian team, for the very positive notes and words she shared with the public on the way in which Albania managed to represent itself, but even more than that, the way in which Albania managed to represent this community of countries and states that stand together for some values and principles that are non-negotiable to us.

On the other hand, I wish to thank the state secretary publicly also for another support that maybe is not so much talked about, and it’s not so visible, but it’s a constant, important, and useful support for Albania to progress on its path towards EU accession.

Clearly, this is a process that depends on what we do; it also depends on the assessment and judgment of our allies in the European Union.  But since some years now, we have remarkably felt the constant interest of the U.S. administration, and in particular the continuous interest shown by the State Department, and the fact that in his important meetings with European allies, the state secretary always underscores the need to push further the integration process for Albania and Western Balkans in the EU as a strategic interest of the United States.

On the other hand, we spoke about the region and we shared the same perspectives and concerns.

As you know, Albania has a policy of an extended friendship hand for all the countries of the region, and we are interested and wanting that the region moves ahead as a whole, because first and foremost is – it is in our strategic interest.  It is in the interest of our people to see its integration with Europe as an integral part of the integration of this region around values and principles that embody our being part of the large community of democratic states and countries. We have definitely encouraged, we encourage, and will continue to encourage the irreplaceable dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

The United States have been our and will be the staunch supporters of the process for the final recognition of Kosovo and to meet the international subjectivity of Kosovo.  And it is actually better for all Albanians and also Albanians in Kosovo to be reminded – remember that without the United States there would not be an independent state of Kosovo, and that the interest of the United States in this region, and specifically the interest of the United States for things to run smoothly in Albania and Kosovo, is not a second-hand interest.  It is neither an interest that is separate in any respect from our interest in Albania and Kosovo to build a peaceful and prosperous future for the next generations.

It is unquestionable – so there is no doubt that we actually feel regret any time we witness steps back.  Of course, we are aware of the difficulties of the dialogue.  There is no doubt that we are cognizant of the wounds of a not so past strategy of – a tragedy of those who live in Kosovo.  And we are also aware that in certain points in time, such as the terrorist attack in Banjska, Serbia does not always help the process as it should.  But first and foremost, Albanians of Kosovo and all of us must be conscious that it is in our interest, it is in the interest of Kosovo, to progress even unilaterally, should the need arise, to meet all those requests put on the table of dialogue that are not restrictive demands.  They are neither demands for Kosovo to give up a single millimetre of its dignity, of its sovereignty, and of its future.  These are requirements or demands that through their delivery ensure the establishment of a context that elevates the Republic of Kosovo as a republic that deserves all the support, all the support and also the trust of our strategic partners, without whom the future becomes even more remote and the present becomes even more complicated.

So even today, after we discussed and talked, I want to repeat our appeal, my appeal, for the authorities in Pristina not to take any steps without consulting and being coordinated with our strategic allies because it is first and foremost in their interest, and of course it is in the interest of our alliance.  Actions that are not consulted and uncoordinated could perhaps gain some votes for the moment, turning the foreign policy into a tool and function of the domestic policy.  But there is no long-term gain.

On the other hand, we discussed about the dimensions of our bilateral cooperation, with the latter not only being a constant strategic operation in the area of security, but it is also a cooperation that is increasingly gaining an economic dimension.  While it is unquestionable the need and importance of U.S. investments in Albania as a testament not only of this relationship but also of the awareness of the large potential Albania has in critical sectors for the world today and for our region, for example, like the energy sector.

The U.S. administration is highly engaged in working to tackle the climate challenge, and it is highly committed to supporting all the programs and projects of green energy.  And we believe that in this respect, U.S. companies are a desired partner, and we hope that this process that has already kicked off will progress further. Equally so, we believe that Albania is a country – and the Secretary actually is a witness of this himself – this is a country that the U.S. tourists actually can visit because it’s worth it.  As differently from the United States or other countries, in a very small country without going hours of distance, one can find everything, all the natural beauties, ranging from the beaches to the mountains full of snow.

By way of concluding, last by not least, I wish to publicly thank the state secretary for what we’ve been discussing again and again in all our meeting.  And something that we repeated in our meeting as well that is the irreplaceable support to transform Albania from a country that had never justice and where the impunity culture was the norm, that made the citizens of the country, from the establish of the Albanian state, that it would never be possible in this country for the law to be actually equal for everyone, and so that no one could be above the law.  They made it possible for us to see today that even in Albania, just like in every country that is ambitious for their own children, it is possible that people in office, also people who are also part of the current executive power, could actually be called accountable before the law for breaching the law.

This is something whose weight and importance Albania will be able to fully perceive many years later.

But there is something we know even now: that when we started the reform in justice and we received the support of our allies, all the polls and questionnaires of the public on the reform saw an overwhelming support, irrespective of the political affiliations and irrespective of the typical and tradition polarization of politics; either left- or right-wing supporters or those who are not affiliated with any parties, support this reform in justice.

It is no secret, Mr. Secretary, that here we have a problem.  We can’t find a consensus even on time.  If you ask anyone on what the time is, we have a left wing time, a right wing time, and we have also a central time.  However, when it came to the question whether those who supported the reform in justice believed that they would be able to see in their lifetime important people going before the justice, the majority answered with a no.

Well, here we are today.  We are living in a time where the myth of impunity and the myth of the powerful above the law has been debunked.

Of course, there is a lot of work that remains to be done.  We talked about the challenges.  We talked about the advancement of the reform.  We talked about how imperative it is to counter the phenomenon of corruption as a phenomenon that must be looked at from the perspective of the integration process with all its aspects as well.  But if there is a reason, an important reason today to be more convinced than ever of the value of this partnership, of the value of this friendship, this reason is the commitment of our strategic partners to offering support and assistance to change a chapter of the history of Albania that seemed to be unchangeable throughout a lifetime and for all the generations.

Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.  Thank you very much!  Tony, the floor is yours.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken: Prime Minister, Edi, thank you so much for welcoming us here today, and not just welcoming us – the warmth, the hospitality, the substance, directness, frankness of our conversations – something I always deeply appreciate.

I’m going to start with two expressions that we have.  One is the expression “rain check.”  So if you miss out on someone’s hospitality, if you miss out on a kind invitation to dinner, you ask for a rain check.  So I’m asking for a rain check, if you’ll have me back.  Second is another expression we have and that is the notion of a “fair weather friend.”  That’s a friend who’s with you when the sun is shining but not when the rain is coming down.  Albania is not only a fair weather friend, it’s also a foul weather friend – together, even when the going is tough, even when we’re facing challenges.  And that’s something I can’t begin to tell you how much we appreciate and value.  And it’s a tribute to this country and the friendship we have, and it’s a tribute to the prime minister, who is an extraordinary partner for the United States.

I’m here on my first visit as Secretary to Albania because this partnership between our two countries is stronger than it’s ever been.  And the relationship for us is vital to addressing so many issues that matter to our people.  This is a two-way street, and we are doing things with each other and for each other that are to the benefit of people here in Albania and in the United States and beyond, I would argue.  As a key NATO Ally, a powerful voice on the UN Security Council – and you heard the prime minister allude to this – we had a really extraordinary partnership during the two years that Albania was a non‑permanent member of the council, and that was reflected in the message the prime minister referenced from our ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.  We did, I think, very, very important and strong work together, particularly holding the pen together on the question of Ukraine and the Russian aggression, something we deeply value; now a new member of the Human Rights Council, and also playing a growing role in other critical international institutions, including UNESCO.  This is consequential not just for Albania, not just for the region, not just for Europe; it’s actually consequential for the world, and we deeply, deeply appreciate it.

We had the opportunity today to discuss a lot of issues and challenges that we’re facing together, and we focused first on what we’re doing to promote our shared security.  As you know, Albania has been from day one a strong supporter of Ukraine – really the first to step up, to raise its hand.  It was one of the first countries to send military aid to Ukraine in the wake of the Russian aggression – guns, ammunition, mine resistant vehicles – and it’s currently one of the top ten per capita in terms of its support for Ukraine and security assistance.

The prime minister said this at the Security Council last September, and I’m going to – Edi, if I can, I’m going to quote you:  “The struggle of Ukraine is also the struggle of everyone who aspires to live in a world where nations are free and equal, where territorial integrity is indisputable, and [where the] right to live in peace is unquestionable.”  It’s hard to think of a more elegant way to put what’s at stake in Ukraine.  Over its 15 years now in NATO, Albania has made significant contributions to our alliance.  Albanian troops are helping to keep the peace in Kosovo to deter Russian aggression on NATO’s Eastern flank.

Next month, Albania will inaugurate a NATO airbase in Kucove.  Our 31 Allies, soon to be 32 Allies, bring different histories, different experiences, different geographies, different capabilities.  But each of us has the same ironclad commitment to our mutual defense, and each of us makes important contributions and sacrifices.  In the last three years alone, virtually every Ally has increased defense spending as a percentage of its GDP.

Together, our collective strength is much more than the sum of our parts.  It’s an enduring investment in shared security, shared prosperity, and in the principles that join us together.  We’re grateful that Albania is doing its part, prepared to continue to do its part.  We’re fully committed to upholding our obligations as well.

Our countries are also growing our bilateral security partnership.  Albanians and Americans have fought side by side from Afghanistan to Iraq.  Albanian pilots fly American-made Blackhawks.  U.S. Special Forces are training their Albanian counterparts and helping to keep watching the Balkans.  In the wake of the recent Iranian cyber attacks targeting Albanian critical infrastructure, the United States has supported Albania cyber defenses, helping to train experts, to upgrade equipment, to improve technology so that they’re more resilient to future attacks.

I thank the Prime Minister as well for something that is near and dear to my heart, and near and dear to the hearts of so many Americans, and that is the extraordinary generosity that the Albanian people have shown in welcoming thousands of Afghan evacuees.  Albania was the very first country to do so.

I had a chance a little bit earlier today to meet with some of the most recent evacuees from Afghanistan who will be going on to the United States.  They’re getting their Special Immigrant Visas, and then they’ll come to be part of the next chapter in the story of the United States. These are people who have endured incredible hardship, who’ve shown remarkable courage.  And what I heard from them today was not just gratitude for being welcomed here, Mr. Prime Minister, in Albania, but the way they were welcomed by the Albanian people: with extraordinary warmth and support.  And it’s hard to – it’s hard to describe how much that means to people like our Afghan colleagues and friends who are in the midst of the most uprooting experience possible.  We’re committed to resettling them in America, offering them a similarly warm welcome, but I have to say we’re really inspired by the way that you’ve done it.

The prime minister and I also discussed how to keep making Albania’s democratic institutions more accountable to Albania’s citizens.  Justice reform has not been easy, perfect, or quick, but it is showing real results, and you heard the prime minister describe them.  Today I met with key judges and prosecutors who are helping to lead the reform effort.  Corrupt officials are being held accountable.  Members of organized crime are going to prison and losing their assets.  So this is a very powerful process, but it’s a process, and it continues to move forward.

We’ll continue to strongly support Albania in these efforts, which are critical steps toward Albania joining the European Union and what the people in Albania deserve.

Our democracies are also threatened, both of us, by disinformation.  And that fuels division and it erodes trust.  We just signed with the foreign minister memorandums of understanding, and the one that we signed a moment ago will enable the United States and Albania to develop a shared approach to countering dangerous distortions and lies and build a resilient information ecosystem.

There is an information competition, even an information war, that goes on day in, day out.  And it’s critical that democracies have the tools that they need to act effectively in dealing with it. We also discussed ways to further strengthen our economic relations, again, as the prime minister said.  American investment in Albania has tripled since 2019, and it will only grow more as the business climate continues to improve.  Our companies are exploring hydropower, wind, solar projects in Albania. These have great potential to diversify Albanian energy resources and sources to help our shared planet and to create inclusive economic growth for everyone through assistance in hydro power, wind and solar power sectors.

Finally, we committed to deepening ties between our people.  Edi and I just came from a really terrific gathering at the Pyramid just a few doors away from here, where I met some of the young people who are participating in our exchange programs – their alumni and current participants.  These programs are making the bonds between us stronger every single day.  So the other memorandum of understanding that we signed for the Fulbright Program will double the number of Albanians who can study on scholarships in the United States, bringing our people even more closely together.  One of my predecessors who I see on the wall here to my left, Secretary James Baker, famously told the Albanian people, and I quote, “You are with us and we are with you.”  That was true three decades ago.  It remains true today.  It will remain true tomorrow.

Thank you, Prime Minister.

/u.sh/

On the second day of his visit, PM Rama held a joint press conference on progress of the European Commission’s new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans with EESC President Oliver Ropke, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, and Prime Minister of Montenegro Milojko Spajić

* * *

President of European Economic and Social Committee, Oliver Röpke: Good morning ladies and gentlemen! Dear Vice President, dear prime ministers,

First of all, I would like to welcome you to our press conference here. It is a landmark initiative of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) that we start today. It is now 10 months ago since I took office as President of the EESC, and my first initiative was to strengthen involvement of the candidate countries in our work.

We wanted to become the first EU institution that involves candidate countries in our advisory work.

Now ten months later, I am really proud to say that we in the Committee have unanimously decided to start this project and two days ago we appointed the enlargement candidate countries. Some of them are here and I am really honored and pleased to see you here. It is a great signal that we can now celebrate the start of this initiative.

Over the past few years, the geopolitical context in Europe and around the world has changed dramatically. We have seen that the EU enlargement gained really a momentum, unfortunately linked to the war because of the aggression on Ukraine, but in our initiative we have involved all candidate countries, namely Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, Türkiye, as well as all the Western Balkan countries, including Montenegro and Albania, because I personally think that we can no longer let these countries in the waiting room. We have to really engage and show that although the EU membership must be merit- based, I think that there are a lot of things we can do before to help integrating the candidate countries in our work and especially in the EESC as a civil society body to empower and further strengthen the civil society and social partners in the enlargement countries. So we are now starting a new phase, because this project will start, which means that promises have to be put on track. We are really looking forward to working with you, with the enlargement members and I am convinced that you can bring new initiatives, new views and perspectives from the enlargement countries to the European Union, meaning that this is not a one-way street, because both can benefit from it, including us here in the EESC, and this is why we decided to open doors to involve your representatives in our work.

I must share with you the fact that the response to our call for the enlargement candidate members was really overwhelming as we had more than 600 applications from all candidate countries. It was not easy to find a selection, but we now have a pool of 131 enlargement candidate members and this also shows how vibrant and diverse the civil society is in these countries.

I had the honor to visit some of the candidate countries last month and I was really pleased and amazed by the vibrant civil society in these countries and I really look forward to set this new standard in our house when it comes to gradual integration.

And the last word, I would like to thank all the EU institutions for their great support for this initiative, especially the European Commission, Vice President Jourova, and explicitly also European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who supported this initiative from the very beginning and I hope it will be a success story.

Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you very much for having us here!

I must say that this is great news coming from a very exemplary body of these complex institutions, which is the European Economic and Social Committee that decided to take very bold steps, basically providing all the candidate countries the opportunity to be part of a community that is made of member states.

I think this is the first great example of how we should foresee the near future and how possibly we should agree with our European Union friends about a different approach on doing things together by allowing us the candidate countries to be part of the spaces of dialogue, interaction and cooperation that this incredible organization provides for all members.

So, having today our countries as full members of this Committee without the right to vote is exactly what the near future should be for the European Union and the Western Balkans that should find the way to make sure that the path towards our full accession is a path of very close cooperation, but also a path of a very organic interaction that should be provided by the European Union and its institutions.

I strongly believe that it is high time for the European Union to realize that the candidate countries in the Western Balkans, but not only, are not only mature enough, but also in a situation when they deserve to be embraced and be brought closer without necessarily be full members, as it is indeed the final goal of this whole process.

What is happening today is a shiny example of what should happen further at other EU levels and bodies.

I strongly believe that what is happening today here should also happen in the European Parliament; it should happen in the European Commission and in the European Council. This is the only way to calm down all the spirits and to infuse a very concrete energy, a very tangible energy, a very useful energy in all the candidate countries and their citizens about the very concrete future of being part of the European Union. Otherwise, we would risk reentering a never ending path of good intentions, of plenty promises, but of no delivery.

In the meantime, I believe that the new Growth Plan is also another very good example of some awareness, a different way of looking to the Western Balkans and other candidate countries and to the future of the European Union itself. I would like to conclude by saying that we are finally seeing that the European Union is much more aware in terms of its deeds and not just its words about the strategic importance of the Western Balkans for the European Union and it is sad that Vladimir Putin was needed to make this happen.

But I strongly believe that we should now keep this momentum, move forward with bold steps and don’t wait for another aggression or another catastrophe to happen to remind us and, most importantly, to remind people in Brussels how important the Western Balkans are for the European Union.

We always say that the European Union is very important for us, but everyone in the European Union should realize –  and do so not only theoretically, but also make sure that this realization becomes practical – that the Western Balkans are as important for the European Union as the latter is for the Western Balkans.

/u.sh/

After the meeting with the CSU parliamentary group, PM Rama appeared at a joint press conference with the Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder, Chair of the parliamentary group of the Christian Social Union (CSU) Klaus Holetschek, and the European Parliament member Manfred Weber.

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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you! Thank you very much. I feel humbler and more honored than ever to be invited as a guest of honor by my very precious and dear friend Markus Söder and the CSU group for this extraordinary moment of exchanges, but also of a European feel.

For those who don’t know, around 40 years ago, Franz Josef Strauss visited a totally isolated and secretive country. Back then we were Europe’s North Korea. His visit was a sudden glimmer of hope. Shortly after, the German-Albania ties were reestablished a few years later. Since then, if you were to ask Albanians, there is a special relation with the state of Bavaria and, definitely, Bayern Munich has played its role – I can’t deny it – but it’s not just about football anymore, it’s about something more profound.

Thousands of Albanians live here and they can’t be more grateful and more fulfilled for being part of the economy and Bavarian community efforts.

We certainly discussed the way Albania can contribute to the efforts to combat illegal immigration under the agreement we have signed with Italy.

First and foremost, I have to say that Albania is not the solution, as we are very small and we lack the tools to be the right solution. Second, I would also like to say that the solution doesn’t even lie in the hands of a great country like Germany. However, Albania can do its part to contribute to this solution, just like any other European country should do their part, because this challenge requires a common pan-European response.

Any independent effort is doomed to bring about consequences that could turn out to be irreparable for the future and that’s why the whole European family must stay united and agree on a collective response and not resort to various, diverse solutions that sometimes have nothing to do with the future generations, but with the daily politics.

We are here. We wish to become part of the solution. We wish to be part of the effort. We are not the EU, but we are the E without the B, and therefore nobody can decide about us whether we are Europeans, because this has been already decided by God Almighty and by the geography that has located us right at heart of Europe and the European Union is the only reality in history of maps with external and internal borders. No other similar reality has ever existed in history.

So one enters the EU territory and to come to Albania one should leave Europe. It’s just a 1.5 hour flight from here and we’re right in the middle of Europe.

We wish to become a full part of Europe. To this end, we should deliver. We are already doing good things in many areas. Our economy is progressing well and Albania’s tourism is thriving. By the way, I invite all of you to come and visit us. You won’t regret and you would definitely want to return. We certainly want to do things with the government of Bavaria and we would be very happy to be of assistance.

This is my approach. We stand together for whatever we can and as far as this can be useful. However, we are small and not rich, but being small and not rich does not stop us from being together on a moral level when you are part of a family and when you know your place and how to honor this place of yours in the family.

Thank you!

* * *

Thank you! First of all, it is important to hear from both sides here in Germany that what we are doing doesn’t infringe any European and human values, because it was not obvious when we embarked on this thing and we faced many critics, especially from my Socialist counterparts in Europe. But it is pretty clear for me. If this agreement was to be signed between, let’s suppose, between Italy and the Czech Republic or if Albania was not to be Albania, but it were Slovakia instead, nobody would have talked about it, because such a deal would have been the most natural thing to happen – European solidarity – and there is an agreement, if I am not mistaken, within the European Union, based on the redistribution concept, which means that Italy is cursed for being the first onshore territory off the Mediterranean to be seen from Africa and it can’t be a curse to Germany.

So all the countries should take part and the fact that we are doing precisely what the European agreement stipulates, namely establishing a reception centre to process all the procedures based on the European laws and it should not be a reason to raise another senseless, useless and political conflict. Many political conflicts take place due to narrow political interests, when it comes to this topic.

Addressing the immigrant plight is not a matter concerning the leftist or rightist parties only, but it is an issue of what Europe will be in the next ten years; how this continent and these countries will look like in 2040 and in 2050. And this is the responsibility of the leadership and those who have been elected for this.

We could have wished that something else was to be done, but we should deal with it together. It is not something easy, it is not a very pleasant topic to deal with because it is a subject of so many discussions, but we have to make our contribution and it does not matter if we are not EU members.

It is our duty to behave as honorable, dignified, and fully trusted members of this community.

It doesn’t matter that you are the EU and that we are the E without the U. It doesn’t matter at all. This is the way I see it and this is certainly an effort. Markus put it right, saying we need to wait and see how it would work, because this is something new. Lessons will be drawn, adaptations will be made and other countries may follow the suit later. But you were speaking about Türkiye, because Türkiye is the source of the Balkan corridor. In a nutshell, should a fresh wave of immigrants take place, the Balkan corridor would somehow become the main route. So, why not try and find a collective solution in advance together with the countries along the Balkan route, mainly North Macedonia and Serbia. These are solutions, which are good will efforts at least and I don’t see it as a political line. A Socialist government is in office in Albania, while the Italian government is not a Socialist one – to say the least – but tackling the immigrants plight is neither a Socialist nor a Christian-Socialist or a Christian-Democrat matter, but it is a collective problem that should be solved of all of those who are tasked with representing the citizens of Europe and they should work together to deliver and do this for the European citizens.

/u.sh/

The meeting took place in three sessions; namely the first session with the parliamentary group leaders, Socialist Party’s political delegates and the cabinet members; an expanded cabinet session meeting also attended by the deputy ministers and the heads of central institutions, and a closer cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Edi Rama appeared at a press conference after the second day of the meeting.

* * *

I would like to thank many of you for taking the trouble to travel and come here, and for also waiting for a relatively long time and therefore we shall pay the respect you deserve.

We had the traditional marathon meeting of the governing majority.

This time, the meeting took place in three sessions; namely the first session with the parliamentary group leaders, Socialist Party’s political delegates and the cabinet members; an expanded cabinet session meeting also attended by the deputy ministers and the heads of central institutions, and a closer cabinet meeting.

As usual, this marathon gathering touches upon all aspects concerning the activity of the ruling majority, parliamentary and governmental political activity, then tackling every aspect, trickling down to every sector and even sub-sectors. I would like to note that the discussions on major road, ports and airports infrastructure have created a pretty clear picture of the progress of work on the Blue Corridor project.

Indeed, the Thumane-Kashar highway section, the most important segment of the Blue Corridor, is scheduled to open to traffic within this year after 70% of the construction work has been already completed. We have now a clearer picture about progress and the preparations to kick off the work on construction of Milot-Thumane highway, another crucial section of the project, as we all are pretty aware of the fact that how difficult the situation becomes and will become during the upcoming summer tourist season, with the road traffic congestion with the growing number of road users travelling from the north to Tirana or further south of Albania. We very much hope that the contracts on construction of the sections connecting Kashar and Rrogozhine and Rrogozhine-Lekaj ahead of the next tourist season. Completion of these sections will practically complete the entire axis of the Blue Corridor. Work is also underway on the first phase of the Milot-Murriqan segment. Work is in full swing on the project.

On the other hand, we have also addressed the need to finance the big by-pass road project in Elbasan, taking notice of the fact that work on construction of the Corridor 8 project is progressing fast also thanks to the favorable terrain and its very favorable geology to date and the work is running on schedule to complete with the first Tirana-Durres railway segment, most likely within the year and, in the meantime, we have discussed ways to secure funding for the 4 kilometer-long road to connect 10 more train stations from Kashar to the center of Tirana. The process is underway and I am confident that the contract will be signed by early autumn and the work will kick off on construction of Vorë-Han i Hotit railway. We have secured EU funds for construction of Durrës-Rrogozhine segment and we are compiling the application to further stretch the railway line to the resort lake town of Pogradec that would complete the Corridor 8 rail route. We have also discussed – and an intense communication is underway with the government of Kosovo – the progress of the strategic project on construction of the railway connecting Durres and Prishtina. The relevant bodies of both governments have agreed on principle to explore the possible rail route to stretch from Shkodra to Gjakova and Prishtina. This is one of the solutions proposed by Kosovo authorities.

Similarly, we have almost scheduled the process on opening the international tender on construction of the big Durres Port in Porto Romano area, about which a change in terms of its  funding will be made, given that it is about a strategic project and of a strategic urgency as we have involved NATO for the port’s military aspect and we are currently at a very advanced information exchange stage. The change consists of the fact that we will move to domestic funding so that the project is not hampered and delayed. These are more or less the major infrastructure projects everyone is interested in.

Delivering on the National Transport Agency is another major project on infrastructure exploitation, given our ambition to make Albania a regional champion for tourism.

I don’t know whether you have come across the latest finding by Booking.com, one of the largest global booking platforms, which most recently said that the city of Vlora has emerged as one of the top ten destinations booked in relative terms for the upcoming tourist destination.

This doesn’t mean that the number of tourists visiting Vlora would be higher than the number of visitors to China, so to say, but I am citing the Booking.com findings to say that Vlora ranks among the top ten most booked destinations among the most magical tourist destinations on the planet.

In relative terms, Albania is the country that has experienced the largest increase of international tourism in Europe during 2023.

The National Transport Agency will help to take the national transport network to a whole new level and the Agency will also be tasked with another very important mission of transporting teachers and pupils. The work on this project has been launched for some time now and we are about to finalize it. I am confident you will learn about the project in the next two or three months or even earlier, when a stock car production agency will be founded for the state’s needs, as well as for export.

It is a wonderful project that will allow us to manufacture vehicle to meet the needs of the Ministry of Health, the ministry of Interior, the National Transport Agency needs, as well as export-bounded vehicles, building on the genius and undeniable expertise of an Albanian girl, whom you all know and with whom we are building this process with her modest enterprise that, nevertheless, wins international tenders to send ambulances to various countries from Ukraine to Serbia.

/u.sh/

Good afternoon and welcome to this year-end press conference and the tradition has it that we will make an overview of the main accomplishments this year and then you can certainly ask all the questions and raise any concern on the issues you wish to discuss.

For the sake of truth, I can openly and forthrightly state I feel much better than a year ago given all the progress we have made during this outgoing year that has been absolutely the best ever in every aspect for Albania. It has been the best year in terms of the performance of the country’s economy, always compared with the previous year and compared with how much remains to be done in every aspect and, first and foremost, to further grow the national economy and the household economy of the Albanian families.

It has been the best year in terms of security.

It has been the best year ever in terms of public service delivery, the public investments and the foreign direct investments.

It has also been the best year in terms of Albania’s international position.

This year is actually ending with the country recording a growth that significantly exceeds every growth projection by the government of Albania and the international financial institutions. We are confident that the final growth rate in 2023 will stand at 4%, 3.7% or 3.8%.

This year’s budget revenue collections hit an all-time high and recorded a significant increase than planned.

Albania generated more than 3.2 billion euros in tourism revenues from January to September and it represents a very high figure compared to the previous years. And I would like to make a parenthesis to explain for all of those who wrongly see growth in visitor numbers unrelated to their household economy and randomly comment saying: “We don’t care about tourist numbers, because all it matters is the economy.” Indeed, tourism and tourists are one of the main channels of economic growth as tourism is part of the country’s exports.

Similarly, Albania’s real unemployment rate further dropped in 2023, hitting a record low of 10.5%. Our goal is to further lower the unemployment rate below 10% next year.

Foreign Direct Investments reached over 1 billion euros or 60 million euros more than a year ago.

The minimum wage was increased to 40,000 lek this year and the move practically also coincides with the appreciation of the Albanian national currency and the minimum wage consequently is around 400 euros.

New social support programs have been launched to provide compensation for the increased social and health insurance contributions for every worker receiving a minimum wage. In the meantime, pensions have been increased by 9% thanks to continued pension indexations this year.

Wages for public sector workers have kept significantly rising and a new considerable hike is expected to enter into force next June as projected under the 2024 state budget, with the teachers, servicemen, State Police workers, health workers and public administration employees due to receive a pay rise that would take the average wage in public sector to 900 euros

Soft housing loans program for young families of doctors, servicemen and State Police officers is also underway to support new families and the state budget has allocated due funding to support an initial group of 1000 applicants from the three abovementioned categories that serve the state and the citizens in the Republic of Albania 24/ 7.

Albania’s electricity generation rose 30% year-on-year in 2023. More than 2000 families have received subsidies to equip their homes with solar water heaters as part of the government plan to help households across the country install solar panels to heat water, thus helping keep energy costs low for lower-income families. A total of 2000 families have been included in the first phase of the program.

Tirana Airport is now on par with Belgrade’s airport with the highest number of passengers in the region, an unimaginable accomplishment just a few years ago, and Tirana Airport has recorded the highest passenger numbers in the ranking of the European Civil Aviation Agency for whole Europe.

More than half a million passengers have landed at Saranda port. I cited this figure as it is a very significant one, showing not only what happened this year, but also the tremendous potential of the southern coastal city and it is for this reason that we have paved the way to a major investment project on construction of a new tourist port in Saranda, while process is underway to transform the existing Saranda port.

A total of 37 water supply projects have been completed, providing 24-hour supply to local residents in 29 municipalities across the country and the number of citizens receiving uninterrupted water supply has increased by 223,000 more people.

I don’t want to take up any more of your time by providing data and figures, yet I think it is impossible to shun them at such a press conference, at least certain figures that are significant ones and that can’t be repeatedly reiterated during the whole year.

The value of the country’s agricultural exports has increased by 64.4 million euros compared with a year ago. In the meantime, we have kept on funding important investment projects on water irrigation and drainage infrastructure and the area of the irrigated land has now increased by 20,000 more hectares after development of an entirely renewed irrigation and drainage infrastructure. Hundreds of main drainage canals have been cleaned-up and embankments have been rehabilitated.

Furthermore, I think it is worth praising the laudable work done by the municipalities of o Përrenjas, Roskovec, Belsh, Skrapar and Cërrik with the latter being the pioneer of a new change that we have sought to promote this year and will continue to strongly promote in the future, namely the initiative for building agricultural waste composting centers, a rewarding investment for farmers that would help them increase production quality, but also ensure a complete cycle of their processing.

The financial support programme for mothers with three or more children has progressed just fine. The same goes for the support programme to provide glucose test strips for free to around 60,000 people aged over 65. Major investment projects were completed on the country’s health system this year, but I think it is worth noting that 391 newly-graduated physicians and 1079 nurses have been employed in the country’s public health system this year.

I am not going to list the number of hospitals and new health care centres that have been either constructed from scratch or fully reconstructed this year, but I would like to highlight the incredible success with the new internal diseases hospital at the University Hospital Centre in Tirana and openly state that it is one of the best hospital centres in the region and the centre that offers most excellent care service compared to any private health structure in Albania.

We have pressed ahead with the smart laboratories programme in schools, with the initial 12 Artificial Intelligence laboratories already installed in public schools and 216 more smart labs will be installed next year after installation of 100 laboratories in schools across the country this year.

The wages for the academic staff and the budget funding for higher education has been increased by 40%.

I would like to conclude this overview without taking full stock of the major public works, as you have already provided coverage and have seen them first hand. However, the outgoing year has seen the work on several major infrastructure projects, the national roads, reaching their peak, with a number of newly-built road segments already complete and opened to traffic. Finally, work is running smoothly on construction of Murrizi Tunnel, part of the Arbri Road, which will open to traffic next year, together with the Llogara Tunnel.  In the meantime, contracts are being finalized to kick off work on construction of more segments part of the Blue Corridor project, the major infrastructure work in the country. Similarly, we have received positive response regarding construction of Durres-Hani I Hotit railway and we expect similar response about the Durres-Pogrades railway, which is part of Corridor 8, while work is in full swing on construction of the road corridor.

I am really happy and pleased with the sport in schools programme that has turned out to be a long-awaited success. More than 10,000 children, thanks to the excellent job and leadership of the Albanian Olympic Committee, have been involved in the sports movement, joining the school volleyball and basketball teams and, together with the Albanian Olympic Committee, we are working to further expand sport activities by introducing more sport disciplines in schools.

This is an incredible achievement for the present and the future and it is a safe health and education source, as well as a source of quality and professional sports, professional teams once all these children grow up and lead a career in sports.

We have received congratulations by the International Olympic Committee, the European Olympic Committee and, most importantly, under this programme already in its second year, Albania will host the first Sports Festival of Southeast Europe, an initiative by the President of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Fidel Ylli, with unreserved support by the Albanian government and I am confident that we will host an incredible international sports activity next summer in an event that will see the participation of an impressive number of young people from the whole region.

I would also like to draw attention, as we haven’t had the chance to talk about it previously, but after coming across all the data during the preparation work for this press conference, I looked at the progress of the confiscation process for any extra floors added to projects with official permits, a project that caused an uproar accompanied with speculations and much conjecture and much slander, but I am very pleased to announce today that fine collection already in state coffers after hefty fines were levied on many builders, who have violated the construction permits. A total of 3,5 million euros has been already collected to date for five unauthorized extra floors, whereas the fine payments are expected to complete for four more buildings that will allow tax administration to collect 10.5 million euros for only 9 first unauthorized buildings.

More extra floors have been confiscated in 15 more buildings and the procedures are already underway as the developers or builders have refused to take advantage of repurchase rights and therefore legal procedures, as the confiscation law stipulates, will be followed. I am happy to note that it was such an extremely aggressive action that was a must to put an end to abuse in the construction sector, we are witnessing a long-awaited discipline in terms of construction works and the relevant institutions have no longer found violations of the law. However, whoever dares to violate the construction permit by adding extra floors they will pay it dearly and will face severe consequences for any attempt to reap profits they are not entitled to.

I am now available to take your questions.

/u.sh/