This Wednesday, Prime Minister Edi Rama was invited by the European Commission to address the opening session of the “Global Gateway” forum on Europe’s current challenges and major development priorities. In his speech, he said that Albania and the Western Balkans should be an integral part of the European funding programs for these priorities.

“Further democratization is necessary, as alignment with EU values ​​is essential. Infrastructure is necessary. The European Union is a very difficult creature, to deal with it you have to have strong enough nerves, you have to be prepared enough not to let depression take you before the EU takes you.

At the same time, it’s tough love, it’s a path that you have to travel and where you learn and when, because of disappointment, you sometimes think that there are easy paths in other directions. But in no other way will you find a strong friend and ally who will never attack anyone, but will try to help everyone. On the other hand, this opening that we are seeing thanks to this increasingly close relationship with the EU is essential, not only for the Western Balkans, but for the European Union itself.

Prime Minister Edi Rama did not spare the jokes this time either:

“We have had a history which has forced us to make a series of unwanted marriages, believe us, this may be the most difficult marriage to deal with, but the only marriage worth looking for”, said the Prime Minister.