We've accomplished things that negotiating countries don't have

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in an interview for “Day Welt” said that, as well as the EC recommended, Albania is ready for opening negotiations with the EU, the process for which, according to him, the country has done its duties.

“Netherlands along with Germany and Austria have provided a great help to us. All three of these countries are part of an international coalition that is assisting us in justice reform. We've done something no other country has ever accomplished before”.

We have changed the Constitution, but not only that; we have passed all judges and prosecutors on the site of a very difficult property process and are cleaning up the system in a way that no other negotiating country has ever done before. This is the beauty and wonder of this process, because while we have yet to open negotiations, we have accomplished things that negotiating countries have yet to realise”, Rama has said in the interview.

Rama claims that so far the integration process has been an asymmetric process since, according to him, for countries that joined the first, pressure was smaller, fewer demand and the process much easier.

For every country that came together next is increasingly difficult.

He appreciates Merkel's role, while stressing that “Kancelar Angela Merkel is unrefutable and that it has a very clear vision about the Balkans, about the past and the future of this region”.

Eddie Rama's full interview:

Negotiations on opening Albania's talks with the EU could begin as early as June. What are your expectations about this process?

Last year, the European Commission recommended opening membership talks with Albania in 2018. That didn't happen. However, the European Union pledged to launch negotiations in 2019. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said earlier in 2014 that enlargement would rise in five years and that we are now in 2019. Macedonia's agreement with Greece represents a historic step in the region's diplomacy. Looks like this is the right time. At the same time, it is already impossible to predict anything about what the European Union will do next. This is a problem within the family, and predictability is the last thing we can ask for.

So it is important that first of all we have done our homework and that since last year, we have been considered by the European Commission that we are already ready for the opening of negotiations. The Commission, in my view, is the only institution that has the necessary expertise and full knowledge of the details and history of each country.

That said, the rest is just politics and you never know. But at the end of the day, what matters is that we're not doing all of this for others, we're doing it for ourselves and our children because the integration process is a fantastic tool of modernisation. Adjusting European standards is doing exactly what future generations deserve.

Do you feel less optimistic about the whole process?

No, so nearly tragic I've always been optimistic. My life and our history constantly tell me that tragic optimism is the best solution. Now, even the Dutch, who are skeptical, have said we've taken great steps. The Netherlands, along with Germany and Austria, have provided great help to us. All three of these countries are part of an international coalition that is assisting us in the reform in justice.

We've done something no other country has ever accomplished before. We have changed the Constitution, but not only this; we have all judges and prosecutors on the site of a very difficult property process and we are cleaning up the system in a way that no other negotiating country has ever done before.

This is the beauty and wonder of this process, because while we have yet to open negotiations, we have accomplished things that negotiating countries have yet to do.

Are you suggesting that so far, the integration process has been an asymmetric process?

No doubt. It's not a secret and everyone knows it. For the countries that joined the first, the pressure was smaller, less demand and much easier process. Then, for every country that was united thereafter, it was increasingly difficult.

Do you think there is less appetite now, on the part of the EU for new countries in Union?

I have to establish that we don't pretend to join the EU right now, we just want to open negotiations. Time for membership will come later. It's like planning a marriage, not getting married right away.

This makes the whole situation even more refreshing and even more absurd because while we've done everything we've been asked to start negotiations, we're treated as if it should be decided now whether we're going to be part of the Union or not. And that's just a lie.

How can the EU and Germany benefit from opening these talks?

I'm not in a position to tell them anything. They are in a position to think about what they want. They are stronger and have not experienced war in their lives. So for them, it is not easy to understand why we are so passionate about the European Union.

I'm sure if the founding fathers of the EU were still here, they would understand the benefits much better. For us, the EU is what it was for them, a peace project and a place where you can find a definite space, not threatened by conflicts of the past.

For Europeans today, war is a kind of black and white television designer. On the other hand, the European Union certainly has its problems. It's a really complex time, and it's not easy to make predictions.

Do you think there is a wrong idea about Albania in Europe?

I'd say it was worse. It's getting better and it's going to get better because more and more people are coming to Albania and they're realizing that our country is completely different from negative generalities may have believed.

This idea will spread, but at the same time, journalistic laziness is a characteristic of our times. For a lazy journalist you can't expect good news, but only bad news, because they definitely sell more.
Last year, the Albanian economy grew by 4.1%, according to EU data. How would you describe your country's macroeconomic situation?

Our last estimate of 2018 was 4.5%, but that number is still being estimated. We aim to maintain economic growth over the 4% border.

Meanwhile, we have experienced a significant decline in unemployment, from 18.7% to 12.3%. Our goal is to reduce it further, towards 8%. It won't be easy, but it's not even impossible. This is what we're fighting for.

How would you characterise bilateral relations between Albania and Germany?

Very good. Germany is Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel is inconsistent and she has a very clear vision about the Balkans, about the past and the future of this region. That's why she was and remains our champion. Its leader has turned Germany into Europe's savior.

I don't know where Europe would be today if Angela Merkel hadn't been at the time of the refugee crisis. Even though she had to pay a high price for that, her willingness to pay that price makes a leader even greater. Germany is very fair and clear in general, which cannot be said of all countries.

It was reported that Germany just gave Albania a historic grant. Can you tell us more about the importance of this thing?

It's not a grant, the media made it look like that, but a fund. In the view of bilateral co-operation, it is a seven-year financing plan through the KWA Development Bank.

In 2016, Germany became Albania's fourth largest economic partner. In what direction can bilateral trade be further strengthened?

There's a lot of potential growth in our trade relationship and I'm very faithful that this is exactly what's going to happen, especially in terms of our agricultural products.

According to the statistics from “Hering Foundation”, one-tenth of foreign direct investments that focus on the Western Balkans go to Albania. What are the chances of Albania drawing even more?

1/10 because we haven't been able to create a sustainable way of increasing foreign direct investment in tourism, which is the sector with the greatest potential. IHJ in tourism has been very low, while energy has been more important. Currently, we are at the end of the latest tests with SHELL on an important oil and gas carrier field. All preliminary data suggest this will be a success story.

We'll know more about this soon. If the news is positive, we'll have another big investment for the next many years. Also, we have just begun investing in solar energy. Our first offer went very well, and now we are preparing for a second. Production and agriculture also provide some truly interesting opportunities for foreign investors.

What has your band done over the past year in terms of infrastructure and opening corridors with the rest of Europe?

There is still much work to be done, but some major projects are being implemented. I hope we have more news from the Berlin Process in this direction.

Something unique among politicians, but you're also an artist. What are you doing as prime minister to support the cultural sphere?

Fortunately, we have many talented young people expressing themselves in artistic fields abroad. For example, there are some Albanians in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, we have some fantastic opera singers as well as excellent visual arts artists. For a country of our size, we have an important heritage in the field of art. Renovation of Tirana Central Square “Skenderbej”- won the prestigious European Public Space Award in 2018, one of the most prestigious prizes in architecture./ Top Channel