TIRANA, Dec. 1, 2022 – In an official visit to Tirana, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged the country’s leaders to continue reforms the country needs for EU membership, hailing Albanians’ pro-EU stance in the face of a lengthy and ambitious integration process.
Steinmeier held a speech in front of the country’s parliament and met with his Albanian counterpart on Thursday in Tirana, where he arrived after completing a visit to Skopje.
“Please continue working to surpass all obstacles, in fighting corruption and organized crime,” Steinmeier told the Albanian parliament. “And the opposition and government should work outside the trenches toward the joint destination of EU membership.”
Steinmeier said the opening of EU membership talks on July 19 was a milestone for Albania, adding he was happy to see a European spirit in Albania, adding Germany would continue to help in implementing the justice reform.
“Your positioning alongside our values has moved me. You can be a role model for many people everywhere in Europe, even in my country,” he said.
Many Albanians and other people in the Western Balkans are very frustrated by the seemingly never-ending EU integration process with full membership increasingly being seen as too far in the future to be worth investing in the country. The massive emigration of youth is part of that loss of hope, experts say.
With the war in Ukraine, there had been hope the integration process would speed up, and there is certainly more attention by top leaders in EU member states.
The visit of the German president for example comes just five days before a meeting of EU-Western Balkans leaders that will be held in Tirana — a first for the region.
