The meeting of the Stabilization-Association Council was held today in Tirana. After the meeting, the representative of the EU for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borell, the Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi and Prime Minister Edi Rama held a press conference.
The Head of EU Diplomacy, Josep Borrell emphasized that the EU remains committed to the European integration of Albania. The diplomat also confirmed that he has agreed with Prime Minister Edi Rama to withdraw from the golden passport scheme.
“Usually these annual meetings are held in Brussels, but today we are in Tirana to show the Albanian people that Albania is by our side. With this, we want to give a strong political signal for the commitment of the EU for Albania’s journey towards the EU.
We use the Council as the most important institutional interaction between the EU and Albania. Through these meetings we consider progress, review what has been done and what work we still have ahead of us. The main message from this meeting is our firm commitment to the European integration of Albania.
I want to admit that this country has shown a strong commitment to the necessary reforms and has reached important milestones in the field of justice. This is a clear opportunity to move forward, institutions must accelerate reforms. We had the opportunity to welcome Rama’s statement that the golden passport scheme will not be pursued further, and we have addressed other issues in the meeting, especially strong polarization and many other issues.
This meeting is organized in a new and very challenging reality that has been caused by Russian aggression but at the same time has made the EU more united and has brought the EU and the Western Balkans closer together. This is a critical moment of truth and Albania has shown the true European spirit,” said Borrell.
/abcnews.al
