Prime Minister Edi Rama stated during the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia that Albania’s government has set a clear objective to complete EU accession negotiations by 2027.

Rama clarified that this does not mean Albania claims to be “ready” by that year, but rather that the country is working toward specific milestones outlined by the European Commission, with the goal of meeting all criteria by then.

“We are not saying that we are ready for 2027, but we have clear objectives laid out by the Commission that challenge us to meet all benchmarks and criteria in order to close negotiations by 2027. We are pushing forward without asking questions,” Rama said.

He emphasized that the accession process should not be rushed, stressing that for Albania the most important aspect is using EU integration as a state-building process:

“Europe is a blessing for countries like ours because it is the only place where you can learn how to build institutions. It is the hardest process, but it is essential. This is the difference with Afghanistan and Iraq. Our friends across the ocean thought bombs could change a country, but that is not the case. We emerged from a country similar to Iraq in terms of lack of freedom. Europe is here to teach us how to set up the traffic lights.”

Rama also underlined the balance between speaking freely in forums like Bled while being fully committed and disciplined in Brussels:

“The best thing to do with the EU is to speak freely in Bled, but then say ‘yes’ in Brussels and be a very diligent student.”

The remarks highlight Albania’s determination to align with EU standards while acknowledging that integration is as much about internal transformation as it is about diplomacy.