Prime Minister Rama Highlights EU Membership as a Historic and Transformative Process for Albania

Prime Minister Rama Highlights EU Membership as a Historic and Transformative Process for Albania

Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Edi Rama, a meeting was held with cabinet ministers in attendance. During the meeting, the current overview of the European Union negotiation process with Albania was presented.
The discussions also focused on the joint calendar with the European Commission, which requires obligations to be fulfilled without delay. Prime Minister Rama commended the negotiation team and the involved institutions, emphasizing that the integration process strengthens institutional capacities, reinforces the rule of law, and guarantees higher standards for protecting citizens’ rights.
“Beyond the implementation of a measure or the adoption and approval of a reform in Brussels, what matters most in this process is that it fundamentally increases the country’s institutional capacity. As the presentation showed, this process is of extraordinary value and irreplaceable because people often view EU membership superficially and fail to understand that it is a historic process that transforms the Albanian state. It gives state institutions a level of power and capacity to act that they have never had before in our history,” said Prime Minister Rama.
He also highlighted key challenges, such as advancing public procurement through artificial intelligence, strengthening financial control, and improving food safety and consumer protection standards. He stressed the importance of reforming inspection systems and enhancing the quality of human resources and technological capacities in this area.
The Prime Minister noted that the process not only fights corruption as a battle between justice institutions and the phenomenon of corruption, but also as a broader effort through institutional modernization and transformation. This creates a nationwide capacity to prevent corruption, including activities that occur in gray areas or due to a lack of secure institutional channels that guarantee fast, high-quality services and interactions.
The prime minister further emphasized that the Albanian government is committed to meeting all obligations by the established deadlines to ensure a credible and sustainable path toward EU membership for the development of the country and the well-being of its citizens.