Press statement by President Donald Tusk after his meeting with Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama

Good afternoon. I am glad to have met with Prime Minister Edi Rama here in Brussels today.

Let me start by saying that enlargement remains a strong priority for the European Union. However, as I just conveyed to Prime Minister Rama, every step on the road ahead will bring new responsibilities and more hard work.

Albania is now a candidate for membership of the Union. So we hope and expect that it will intensify its reform efforts. The focus should be on the priorities identified last December. This will establish a solid track record and allow for the next step on the path to accession to be taken. A lot has already been achieved, including on the fight against drug-related crime. However, what is looked for, and what is needed, is implementation across the board.

In our meeting, I praised Prime Minister Rama for the positive role that his country is playing in the Western Balkans. Its commitment to a "zero problem policy with neighbouring countries" is both constructive and exemplary. Its chairing of the South-East European Cooperation Process is another opportunity for Albania to show itself as the archetype of the good neighbour.

I also used this opportunity to commend Albania for its 100% alignment with EU policy in foreign affairs. This is of real significance for the enlargement process, and even more so now given the situation in Ukraine and other common challenges.

Finally, we talked about the need for increased and improved domestic dialogue in Albania. Confrontational politics, boycotts and "the winner takes it all" attitude will not help Albanian citizens. To become a modern mainstream European country, Albania needs to build a culture of compromise-based political dialogue. This creates the optimum framework for delivering tough, but much needed, political reforms. It is of particular importance also in view of the upcoming local elections. Albania should be as constructive and as reasonable in its own political life as it is in the region.