Prime Minister Edi Rama called on Europe not to leave the Western Balkans behind and to send a strong signal in support of the region’s European integration.

Rama made the remarks today at an interparliamentary conference in Tirana, which brought together representatives of Albanian institutions, the European Parliament and European national parliaments.

He said Albania’s strongest advantage in the integration process is its citizens’ strong support for the European Union.

“We debate many issues within our country and can always find reasons to disagree with each other. But we have always agreed on one thing: we want to be part of Europe and we love Europe,” Rama said.

Rama also urged Europe not to leave the Western Balkans behind again.

“If Europe leaves the Western Balkans behind, it will also leave itself behind. That would not simply be a failure for Europe, but a major failure,” he said.

At the same time, Rama acknowledged that European countries have different views on enlargement. However, he called for a common approach that could send a strong signal about the region’s European future.

He referred to German reunification and former Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s approach. Rama said Kohl did not tell East Germans to complete a long list of requirements before joining the rest of the country. Instead, he said, Kohl told them: “We are together.” The reunification process then continued over time.

Rama also called for candidate countries to have a place at the European table while they continue their accession process.

“Europe should find its Helmut Kohl moment and say: Come, everyone, around this table,” Rama said.

He stressed, however, that each country’s progress should determine what it receives from the table.

Rama also referred to Ukraine. He said Europe could invite Ukraine to the table while continuing to assess its progress through the accession process.

“We should not remember that we are one Europe only when there is an attack, a pandemic or a new wave of illegal migration. At those moments, we also need to be at the table, because the road passes through here,” he said.

The conference, titled “The Strategic Agenda for EU Enlargement and Albania’s Accession”, is taking place in Tirana from September 27 to 29. It brings together representatives of EU member states, candidate countries and potential candidates.

The discussions focus on the EU enlargement agenda, Albania’s path to membership, reforms, stability, security and the role of parliaments in advancing European integration.

The conference also addresses the progress and challenges of candidate countries. In addition, participants are discussing parliamentary cooperation and support for the enlargement process.

The discussions support Albania’s strategic objective of completing the accession negotiations by 2027 and joining the European Union by 2030.

/a.c/