In the European Forum organized by the Albanian Institute for International Studies, the leader of the opposition Lulzim Basha made public the program of the Democratic Party toward the integration in the European Union. During his speech as the keynote speaker, Basha promised that his government would make possible within 6 months after being elected the launch of the EU accession talks between Albania and the European Union.
“Within the first 6 months we will make a reality the intergovernmental conference, and we will start for real the process of the negotiations for the integration in the European Union. We will start a new prosperous chapter, which will have as a result the finalization of the integration of Albania in the EU,” said Basha.
Basha vowed personally that Albania under his leadership would become a full member of the European Union, and that the future of Albania towards the EU and the Euro-Atlantic partnership was “irreversible.” The leader of the opposition stated that once he will be in power, his government will create a dedicated Ministry of Integration, that will be a key player in the integration process, and that will try to bring together some of the best qualified Albanian professionals from inside and outside the country.
Basha accused the current government that in the last 8 years had destroyed some of the traditions related to the Albanian foreign policy. “We have seen this in the attacks made against the EU for the failures of the Tirana’s government,” said Basha, who considered also the support made to the idea of the exchange of territories between Kosovo and Serbia by Rama, as going against the “delicate peace architecture” that was built by the United States, NATO and the EU. Recalling his experience as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Basha said that he would continue on the same path once in government, trying to respect the consolidated traditions of Albanian foreign policy, toward a good neighbor policy.
During the conference, the opposition leader talked about the incapacity of Albania to use EU funds: “The EU has allocated to Albania 450 million Euros in the past 8 years, and Albania has disbursed only 120 million Euros. Is there any explanation for these numbers?” asked Basha, adding that instead of benefiting from the EU’s help, Rama’s government “has chosen to set aside those funds, often burn them, and with the funds of Albanian taxpayers to carry out dubious procedures. […] The 7 years of this government, according to the State Supreme Audit Institution, have marked a record figure of abuses in 30 years of Albanian transition, of 7.2 billion Euros.” The leader of the opposition accused Rama also of not making a full transparency on how the EU funds dedicated to the earthquake of 2019 and to the pandemic were being used.
Asked about the ongoing discussion between the Albanian government and the Emmar Group, for the 2-billion-dollar project in the Port of Durrës, Basha considered it as part of the electoral campaign of the Socialist Party. “7 years and a half you did nothing, now you come and talk about Scheherazade,” ironized Basha. Other important policies in the DP’s program toward the future integration of Albania in the EU include the fight against corruption and the organized crime, the support for a check and balance system and the justice reform, and the fight against oligarchs and monopolies. Basha promised also that he will push for the limitation of the executive power if elected as a prime minister, through a new constitution that will have in focus the independence of the institutions from the politics.
The Forum entitled “The Future of European Integration for Albania” was organized by the Albanian Institute for International Studies, and is just the first to open a series of other meetings dedicated to the EU integration in 2021.
