Mark Nelka, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, was a guest this Friday on Balkan Talks on Euronews Albania. In an interview with Franko Ergo, Nelka shared that Poland faced a long and obstacle-filled journey on its path to European Union membership—one that Albania must now also follow.

He emphasized that Albania will need to make many crucial decisions in a short period, but if successful, the rewards will be tremendous.

“There were 20 or 30 key points. The road to EU membership is long and difficult. We had to make, just as you must now, dozens of decisions that are in the long-term interest of the country. There’s nothing wrong with that, but these are decisions that must be made relatively quickly and carry a high social cost.
The whole process is quite challenging, and there are probably no shortcuts. Membership is granted based on merit, so you must prepare for a long and difficult path—but the reward is extraordinary,” Nelka told Balkan Talks.