Prime Minister Edi Rama participated this Tuesday in the European Union Enlargement Summit, a permanent dialogue forum on the future of enlargement and the integration of candidate countries.

During his speech, the head of government praised the new dynamic that, according to him, the enlargement process has gained in recent months, emphasizing the role of the Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos.

“In these past months, Commissioner Marta Kos has filled the process with movement and tangible results. Until recently, I believed Brussels had been buried for good and had no chance of revival,” Rama declared, adding that the process now has brought “such constructive debate and fresh oxygen into European politics that I cannot remember the last time this happened.”

Rama described Albania’s path toward the EU as difficult and often unfair.

“For Albania, this journey has not been a smooth road lined with applause. It has been a long path, often stigmatized and filled with stereotypes amplified by Western media,” he stressed.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the EU has not always upheld its promises to Albania, but he considered this a “strange blessing.”

“The EU did not keep its promises, but for us this turned into a kind of blessing. We continued the reforms because we were doing them for our country, not for Brussels. Today, the EU remains our open source of knowledge, and we are working every day to be fully ready when the right moment for membership arrives,” Rama concluded.