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Albania PM criticizes slow EU accession: 'You can't predict God, sex, or the EU'
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด Romania /Elections & Politics

Albania PM criticizes slow EU accession: 'You can't predict God, sex, or the EU'

From Adevฤƒrul · () Romanian

Translated from Romanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama urged the European Union to speed up its expansion process, warning that prolonged delays could alienate candidate states.
  • Rama cited the German reunification as an example of the need for faster decisions, contrasting it with the EU's slow negotiation pace with Western Balkan countries.
  • He cautioned that the EU risks losing influence in the region if the enlargement remains too slow, comparing it to a distant parent neglecting children who then seek other influences.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama implored the European Union to inject more political courage into its expansion process, warning that the bloc risks alienating Western Balkan states if it continues its slow pace.

Speaking ahead of a summit in Montenegro with Western Balkan leaders, Rama expressed frustration with the protracted negotiations. He drew a parallel with German reunification, stating that Helmut Kohl did not impose lengthy chapter negotiations on East Germans before unification. "When the [Berlin] wall fell, [Helmut Kohl] did not tell the East Germans: 'Now you have 35 chapters to go before we are together,'" Rama said, according to Euractiv.

When the [Berlin] wall fell, [Helmut Kohl] did not tell the East Germans: 'Now you have 35 chapters to go before we are together.'

โ€” Edi RamaAlbanian Prime Minister Edi Rama comparing the EU's slow accession process to German reunification.

Albania applied for EU membership in 2009 and has been a candidate country since 2014, but formal accession talks only began in 2022. While welcoming a recent Franco-German document on deepening engagement with Western Balkan countries before full membership, Rama called for a more ambitious approach from European leaders, referencing former leaders Kohl and Mitterrand.

You don't tell your children: 'Stay with the neighbors until you are ready to come eat with us.' Because then one of the children ends up befriending the Russian gangs in the neighborhood. Another child starts liking Chinese dolls.

โ€” Edi RamaAlbanian Prime Minister Edi Rama warning about the EU's waning influence in the Western Balkans due to slow enlargement.

Rama further cautioned that the EU's influence in the region could wane if the enlargement process remains sluggish. He likened the EU's relationship with candidate states to that of a distant parent with children. "You don't tell your children: 'Stay with the neighbors until you are ready to come eat with us.' Because then one of the children ends up befriending the Russian gangs in the neighborhood. Another child starts liking Chinese dolls," Rama stated.

Despite the push for acceleration, Rama dismissed speculation about a fixed timeline for accession, humorously remarking, "There are three things you cannot predict: God, sex, and the EU."

There are three things you cannot predict: God, sex, and the EU.

โ€” Edi RamaAlbanian Prime Minister Edi Rama dismissing speculation about a fixed timeline for EU accession.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Adevฤƒrul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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