The government head said that the EU is one of the most beautiful political projects that the human mind has ever dared to imagine and materialize.

Rama added that the war in Ukraine has changed the European Union’s approach towards the region, adding that the Berlin Process and the open Balkans are two initiatives that have brought the region closer to the European family.

“Yes, I have been critic to the EU approach and also, in a certain way, critic of the EU’s passive attitude and approach. However, this has changed, as finally there has been a common understanding –  undoubtedly driven by the Russian aggression on Ukraine – that has somehow proven me right about all I was actually saying some years ago. The idea of a region as a very geopolitical asset for the EU has been practically materialized in the reality of facts. We are now in a different place, yet this doesn’t mean that the EU integration and full-fledged membership of Albania and the other countries will be something that will happen very fast. It will certainly take time,” Rama said.

“I am not very obsessed, let’s say, about these technicalities, but we have started the accession talks and the negotiations are already underway. We have done very well, as this year’s Progress Report underlined. This is what matters most. I wouldn’t put much effort and energy to even understand what these technicalities are. This is because it is a very complex process and what matters most is that we do things right,”” PM Rama added.

The government head stated that he has “never lost trust in the European Union.”

“I will never lose trust in EU, because by no doubt the EU means what it says, even when it doesn’t actually mean the words it says. The vision is there, the goals are there, the actions and deeds depend on other things too. Most importantly, we shouldn’t lose trust in the EU, because it is the most beautiful political project the human mind has ever dared to, not only imagine, but also to put in motion,” PM Rama said.

“As I already said in the beginning, we have ushered in a completely new phase of the relations with the EU. This would have been a utopia just a few years ago, but today it is absolutely a reality of the things that the EU and our region are in an increasingly deeper partnership, dialogue and mutual respect. Open Balkans initiative has helped a lot in this respect, as it has actually been the push from the region to make the Berlin Process more comprehensive. These initiatives have been instrumental,” he added.

“The two initiatives have to work in parallel, although the Open Balkans has fulfilled the mission  of making everyone in the region and everyone aware of the strategic and vital importance of regional cooperation. The Berlin Process has also been somehow revived recently also thanks to the Open Balkans. Now we are seeing some new developments, namely the new Growth Plan, and I hope this would bring new energies and more reasons not to never ever give up on the European Union,” PM Rama said.

/r.e/u.sh/