German Minister for Europe Michael Roth and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama are holding a joint press conference after an official visit to Tirana.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the meeting with the German minister comes at the “brink of the European Commission meeting for the negotiations”. He also emphasized that Albania has “done its homework” and expects from the EU “to have the first Intergovernmental Conference as soon as possible”.
“The EU must enforce the decision taken by calling the first Intergovernmental Conference. Is it going to happen or not, we don’t know. It depends whether it will solve the deadlock between Bulgaria and North Macedonia”, Rama said.
During his word, Rama recalled that the EU must swiftly approve the negotiating chapters while referring to the dispute between North Macedonia and Bulgaria as “surprising” and “unexpected”.
The head of the Albanian government reiterated that there are no member states opposing Albania’s first IGC, but that the problem remains North Macedonia, referring to the veto imposed from Bulgaria.
“Albania has fulfilled conditions to launch accession negotiations”
The German Minister of State for Europe, Michael Roth, declared that his country will work towards convincing the EU to deliver its promise on the Western Balkans, stating “the Western Balkans are not the backyard of the European Union”, as he asserted that Albania has fulfilled all the conditions to launch accession negotiations.
“Many of you feel frustrated and disappointed from the EU as in the past a lot has been done, and you all know that there have been other conditions to be fulfilled on the side of Albania, such as the Constitutional and High Court. Albania delivered, and it has scored a lot of progress, while the same can be said for North Macedonia. Therefore, for this reason, we are working under pressure in order for the Council to make a positive decision so that we can finally launch negotiations”, declared German Minister Roth.
On the other hand, Roth emphasized that opening negotiations is only the first step in the EU accession path, as there is “still a lot to be done”.
“There is a lot to be done, you’re only at the beginning of the path, rule of law, functioning justice system, a modern administration, respectful approach towards cultural and religious minorities. We’re not only an economic and financial community but also a community of values”, declared Roth.
“In politics, decisions are made based on facts, and the facts on Albania and North Macedonia indicate that negotiations must begin with both countries”, added the German Minister.
During his word, Roth vowed more commitment in order to solve the dispute between Skopje and Sofia and reiterated that during the German EU Presidency there were continuous negotiations to find a solution, a matter that has also been taken up by the current Portuguese presidency.
