Rama stressed the need for Albania to join the European Union as quickly as possible to gain new financial leverage.

“Beyond all the other advantages of membership, once we join the European Union, we will belong to the group of beneficiary states. In other words, developed nations assist those that require faster development,” he clarified.

The prime minister explained, “This means that, besides the budget from tax revenue collections, there will also be an additional budget for all the things we still urgently need.”

He stated, “For the youth, for universities, for the employment of young people, for the Youth Guarantee, in a single phrase, the European Union is an extraordinary ‘game changer’—it completely changes the game.”

Beyond this, Rama emphasized that “EU membership is an extraordinary moral elevation, with a passport that grants Albanian citizens the same value and rights in the organized European civilization, just like the French and Germans.”

Rama emphasized that as part of the European Union, Albania will share common rules and access while maintaining its own institutions for internal governance. He highlighted that this guarantees an irreversible path to integration, unlike before, when Albania was not fully included, even during past financial crises.

Rama emphasized that EU membership guarantees that individual freedom can no longer be questioned or violated in any way by anyone.

Rama stated, “Your equality before the law can no longer be questioned, and no one can discuss it here, as it is not up for discussion in Europe. You will be equal before the law just like others, and no one can challenge you there simply because you are Albanian. No one will say ‘Get up, leave now.’ Others who have come from dictatorships and tried to build democracy have fallen into terrible or semi-autocratic situations because they don’t have the European Union. Democratic standards of coexistence, the freedom to work, the right to work, the right here, the right there, all guaranteed. These are things that Afghans and Iraqis don’t have,” he added.

/sm/