TIRANA, Albania – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama held a 60-minute long online talk with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss Albania’s preparations for the required conditions prior to the holding of the first intergovernmental conference, considered as the official start of the full membership talks with the European Union.
A week ago the European Commission repeated its positive recommendation based on its assessment on Albania’s progress but it is up to the individual countries to decide whether Albania is ready for the intergovernmental conference.
The green light on the launch of the talks was given by the European Council in March but conditioned by 15 criteria mostly connected to the completion of reforms.
Rama announced and explained the talk with Merkel on his Facebook page on Monday.
According to the Albanian PM, the topics of discussion were the recent EU’s Economics and Investment Plan for the region, strengthening the Mini-Schengen initiative, Albania’s progress to open accession talks, other conditions remaining to be fulfilled before the intergovernmental conference, and Albania’s rotating OSCE Chairmanship this year.
Rama hailed Chancellor Merkel as “an excellent friend who knows, understands and follows our region and Albania in detail and with special attention.”
A statement from the German embassy on the Rama-Merkel talk said that the fight against organized crime, corruption and justice reform remain the two priorities for the country in its path toward EU membership.
Steffen Seibert, spokesman of the German government, said that the two leaders talked on the developments of the virus pandemic, bilateral and economic ties and also on the situation in the region, including Albania’s progress toward the EU integration process.
