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Berisha: EU integration should be a merit-based process

2026-05-21 20:37:00, Politikë CNA

The President of the Democratic Party of Albania, Sali Berisha, delivered his speech at the event organized by the Democratic League of Women of Albania and Jarl Hjalmarson.

Berisha stated that the country's integration into the EU is the DP's main priority, but stressed that this process must be based on merit.

According to him, only this guarantees citizens freedoms and human rights, an independent judiciary and a functional market economy.

Among other things, the Democratic Party leader has leveled accusations against the government, saying that it has turned Albania into an electoral autocracy.

"I want to express my deep appreciation for the topics chosen for this debate. They are very fundamental topics, the most fundamental: the enlargement of the European Union, NATO and security. These are, without a doubt, the most important issues for Albania, and not only for Albania, but also for the countries of the Western Balkans that are working to integrate into the European Union.

Some of them are members of NATO. So, the topics and issues are extremely important. Integration into the European Union for Albania and for the Democratic Party is the main priority. Because we believe that a future in the EU means more freedom, more welfare and more security for Albanian citizens. This is why for our party this is the main priority of the program. We believe that this process should be based on merit. Only a merit-based process guarantees our citizens freedoms and human rights, an independent judiciary, a functioning market economy and the 'acquis communautaire' for the country. Albania today is at a very special moment. A few months ago, V-Dem classified Albania as an electoral autocracy.

In fact, electoral autocracies are autocratic dictatorships in the sense that they accept pluralism, but suppress it. If totalitarian dictatorships do not accept pluralism, do not allow it at all or create a false pluralism, as Tito did during his rule and as Ramiz Alia copied in the last years of the dictatorship, autocratic dictatorships, or so-called electoral autocracy, destroy the most fundamental mechanism of a democratic society, which is free elections. If you look at the elections of last May 11 in Albania, you will find that they were characterized as elections where the boundary between state institutions and party structures had faded or disappeared. This means elections that took place in a party-state, in a party-state model. And these will never be considered genuine elections. This is a very fundamental problem of autocracy in Albania ," Berisha said. /CNA