Remarks by President Donald Tusk after his meeting with President of Albania Bujar Nishani

Good afternoon. I was pleased to welcome President Bujar Nishani in Brussels today.

The migration crisis has brought the Western Balkans region and the European Union even closer. The crisis has demonstrated, once again, that our destinies are truly linked. Today was a chance to reiterate the central role of the Balkan countries in the Union's strategy of how to respond the migratory flows. Getting back to Schengen and the closure of the Western Balkan route is one of three building blocks of the Union's comprehensive response to current migration crisis.

The European Union stands ready to support Albania should an alternative route develop. I was satisfied with your information that Albania is not an attractive route for irregular migrants We agreed to monitor the situation closely and I encouraged Albania to share with us its needs assessment.

Albania has made important progress in recent years toward achieving its European integration aims. With overwhelming public support to underlying reforms, I am confident that Albania can stay the course and adopt those agreed reforms that are still outstanding.

At this crucial moment, when Albania is undertaking an ambitious and comprehensive reform of its judiciary, I emphasized - as I did last November to Prime Minister Rama, that cross-party cooperation and dialogue are indispensable to advance in the country's European ambitions.

Establishing a track record of proactive investigations, prosecutions and convictions in the fight against organized crime and corruption is also an important challenge.

Finally, we discussed Albania's unequivocal commitment to regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations. The European Union appreciates your country's full support to common values on the international stage. This includes not least our joint response to Russia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. We also discussed the need to strengthen EU-NATO cooperation in light of current hybrid threats in Europe.

This is also a clear signal that Albania is a reliable partner for the European Union. I am personally convinced that there is no alternative to the European path for the region. And I am convinced that with enduring political will to reform and with strong public support, Albania will achieve it.

Let me make a final point on Greece and the ongoing review of the Greek adjustment programme. I consult closely with the Presidents of the Eurogroup and of the European Commission. And earlier today I talked to Prime Minister Tsipras. I am convinced that there is still more work to be done by the ministers of finance. We have to avoid a situation of renewed uncertainty for Greece. Therefore we need a specific date for the new Eurogroup meeting in the not distant future, and I am not talking about weeks but about days. Thank you.