Rama: Albania closer than ever to the EU, 2026 will bring more transformation

2025-12-31 20:01:00, Politikë CNA

Prime Minister Edi Rama addressed citizens with a message on the eve of the new year, emphasizing that Albania ends the year with important achievements in the European integration process and in the country's transformation.

Another year has arrived at the door to exit, leaving Albania higher than the day it entered.

During this year's journey, most of you, in Albania, Europe, and elsewhere around the world, blessed the joint effort of the last decade, giving our government the extraordinary power of 83 mandates.

Thank you once again from me today, for the power with which, thanks to you, I and your elected officials will do for Albania, in the next four years, everything necessary to raise our national flag, in the courtyard of the House of the European Union.

In his speech, Rama said that Albania has entered a new phase of development, describing the last decade as a period of profound changes in infrastructure, tourism, energy, digitalization and international relations. He underlined that the country is now ranked as a “front-runner” in the Western Balkans’ integration process into the European Union, with membership negotiations open in all chapters.

In a decade, we have done what was unimaginable when we began counting our years in government.

We have made another Albania a reality, where this year all the leaders of Democratic Europe gathered, from Paris to Ankara, and from Kiev to London, to discuss the future of our continent.

Another Albania, where in 18 months all NATO leaders will gather for the annual Alliance Summit, which many other countries, which joined NATO long before us, have not yet had the privilege of hosting, said Rama.

The Prime Minister highlighted the development of road infrastructure, the growth of tourism throughout the country, as well as the role of the e-Albania platform, which he said has saved citizens hundreds of millions of euros and thousands of years of waiting at counters. Rama also mentioned the strengthening of cyber defense and advances in the energy sector, with the aim of achieving energy sovereignty within this mandate.

All this transformation, which continues and will continue without stopping, with open construction sites and new projects, towards Albania 2030 in the European Union, was not brought about by time as some say, nor by aliens or gangs as some other ghosts shout, but by our governing force, your trust in us and our shared trust in Albania, the untiring work of thousands and thousands of people, of the ministry, state agencies and private companies, the great effort on many fronts of the battle for a European Albania, where the shortcomings, weaknesses, mistakes or even the slips or sins of some within us, cannot in any way reduce the historical dimension of such a transformation.

This is a different Albania, also thanks to the transformation of digital infrastructure from a handful of internet kiosks to a highly mature governance pillar, as assessed by the most prestigious international organizations in the field.

All this transformation, which continues and will continue without stopping, with open construction sites and new projects, towards Albania 2030 in the European Union, was not brought about by time as some say, nor by aliens or gangs as some other ghosts shout, but by our governing force, your trust in us and our shared trust in Albania, the untiring work of thousands and thousands of people, of the ministry, state agencies and private companies, the great effort on many fronts of the battle for a European Albania, where the shortcomings, weaknesses, mistakes or even the slips or sins of some within us, cannot in any way reduce the historical dimension of such a transformation.

This is a different Albania, also thanks to the transformation of digital infrastructure from a handful of internet kiosks to a highly mature governance pillar, as assessed by the most prestigious international organizations in the field.

Referring to the citizens' support in the elections, Rama thanked Albanians for the trust they had shown and guaranteed that the reforms and transformational projects would continue without stopping. He stressed that "the new era of Albania is not turning back" and that the future will bring even greater results for the country.

At the end of the message, the Prime Minister wished citizens everywhere good health, prosperity and a prosperous new year./ CNA