Barroso: Status requires commitment

After a 60 minute meeting at the “map room”, with Prime Minister Edi Rama, Barroso addressed to all local political parties and said that opening the negotiations means new joint efforts with a new quality of democracy.

Barroso declared that the EU is ready to see Albania as a future member, but everything is up to the Albanian people, if they will get closer or farther from this aspiration.

“The candidate status, which was unanimously accepted by the EU governments, is a huge success for Albania. I think that it is good news for the entire region. The candidate status means that the commitments and concrete steps of the new government have been recognized, so that the reform process required by the EU can continue, including the justice reform. I trust that this new chapter will give one more push to Albania for treating its challenges with determination. I emphasized to Prime Minister Rama that in order to progress with the European path, Albania must intensify its approach to reforms”.

Barroso’s opinion for the expected visit of Prime Minister Rama in Belgrade: “We welcomed the initiative of Prime Minister Rama to meet with his Serbian counterpart. This is more than a symbolical action. The region is in peace, but we need a consolidation of democracy and the rule of law”.

Rama declared that the candidate status is a new responsibility for the Albanian government.

“We don’t see the status as a trophy, and we do not consider it as an impartial achievement. We want to become EU members, but we know that other difficult tasks lay ahead of us. President Barroso showed interest on what we have done with the economy, and I informed him about a constant economic growth that we expect starting from this year.”

“Fight against drug, money must be traced”
Barroso: Lazarat, operation must continue with seized assets

Top Channel asked President Barroso about how did the European institutions see the police operation in Lazarat.

“I have congratulated the Prime Minister about the successful operation against drug traffic in the plantations of that area. I believe that Albania must go beyond these efforts and try to seize the assets involved in the drug traffic, by cooperating with Europol. The fight against narcotics must be a national effort, and it should not be politicized. The police and law enforcing agencies must be allowed to do their job without interventions from any party, in order to end the cultivation and traffic of narcotics. I welcome what has been achieved with this successful operation, and I hope that this commitment will continue in the future”, Barroso declared.

President Barroso handed over to PM Rama the agreement between Albania and the EU for the participation in the “Creative Europe” program, which aims to support and promote the Albanian culture and art.

Top Channel