Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, participated in the ceremony of the awarding of the “Karlspreis Europia Forum” Prize for the year 2024, where the irreversible perspective of the Western Balkans was discussed in relation to European integration.

In his speech, Prime Minister Rama emphasized that Albania was unique due to the absence of a communist party after the fall of the regime. He also mentioned the need to build new structures for integration into the European Union for the Western Balkan countries.

The Prime Minister expressed his commitment to EU integration as a priority and highlighted the challenges of this process. He stressed that, although challenging, all tasks must be fulfilled with dedication.

While he appreciates the EU as an important source for building institutions, he stated that one thing is certain that even if the EU did not exist as a Union, Albania would be part of it.

He honored Angela Merkel for her engagement in regional cooperation, highlighting the increase in dialogue and the new growth plan for the Western Balkans. Rama said that Merkel was the only one who brought together for the first time the 6 leaders of the Western Balkans, not to kill each other, but to work for a common future.

/k.s/