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Ditari i Opozitës

"Integration is not political decor", Tabaku: Albania last in the region for economy and infrastructure

Politiko 2025-06-16 15:24:35

"Integration is not political decor", Tabaku: Albania last in the

During Monday's plenary session, the chairwoman of the European Affairs Committee, Jorida Tabaku, pointed out the government's lack of real will to advance the European integration process.

According to her, the path to the EU is being treated more as a formal exercise than as a reform that affects the daily lives of citizens.

She also focused on the country's economic situation, emphasizing that according to OECD data, Albania ranks last in the region in most key indicators.

In conclusion, Tabaku said that the integration process should be for Albanians and not for political facade.

She called for the Assembly to seriously discuss the latest report of the European Parliament and take concrete steps to address the lack of standards, with the elections as one of the key points that, according to her, is really hindering the country's European path.

Full word

Dear colleagues,
How much will and desire the majority has to hold discussions in parliament and advance reforms is clearly visible in the empty halls, in the lack of participation in committees and in the poverty of the parliamentary agenda – an agenda that today cannot even gather four people to discuss a law.
The lack of political will is not only for laws related to the integration process, but for any reform that could change Albania and make it a normal and livable country. Because it is not even a European country.
Many colleagues rightly raised the concern that the parliament is moving further and further away from reality, if we do not discuss issues related to current political events here. If we do not discuss the elections, the European Parliament report, the missing standards of the European Union.
The latest OECD report places Albania last in the region for most indicators – from infrastructure, business climate, income indicators, to the quality of public services. Today, each Albanian citizen has an income of only 37% of the European Union average. The gross domestic product per capita is only 20% of EU countries.
And although Albania has the highest investments in infrastructure in the region, it is the last in terms of standards, completion of the national network and connection to the European network. The OSCE report estimates that Albania will need at least 15 years to meet the region's minimum standards in water supply and sewage, energy and infrastructure.
Do you understand how far Albania is from the "European passport"? Do you understand how far behind we are in democratic standards, when we are unable to organize free and fair elections? When the public procurement system is not transparent, inefficient and not at all professional?
And in these conditions, when laws are adopted that are trumpeted as the first in the region, we ask: Do we want an integration process for changes on paper or for changes for citizens? Do we want to improve the economy or simply meet criteria on the lists to deceive that we have made progress?
The opposition tries to bring about change precisely for this reason. On every platform and opportunity, we raise our voice for the missing standards – in elections, in courts, in justice, in public procurement, in human rights.
Albania is the last in the region – this has not been said by the opposition, but by every international report. The opposition does not tarnish Albania's page. The page of Albania is tarnished by those who had the opportunity to change the country and did not do so.
Those who had the opportunity to organize normal elections and did not organize them. Those who had the opportunity to stop the exodus of young Albanians and families – and did not stop it.
For this reason, this process must be done for every Albanian. For every family that today does not see the light of hope here, but seeks it abroad. It does not see the quality of life, education and healthcare here, but in other countries.
The Albanian Parliament needs to rise above political divisions and accept the truths. As written in the reports of the European Parliament, as written in every other international report and as experienced every day by Albanian citizens.
Unfortunately, over the years, anyone who has been part of the political scene has noticed the missing standards – the lack of checks and balances of powers, the weak role of parliament in controlling the government, in establishing investigative committees, in implementing the decisions of the Constitutional Court.
These are truths that the European Parliament also recognizes. For this reason, during this week in Strasbourg, we will discuss to make everyone – MEPs, the European Commission, all parties involved – aware that the integration process cannot be simply political marketing. It must be a real change for the citizens, a change that has not come with this government and will not come.
On behalf of the Democratic Party and its parliamentary group, I emphasize once again the need to see the truth as it is, to build an alternative and a different offer for the Albanian citizens – an offer that has not come in three mandates from this government, and that will certainly not come now either.
Where the Albanian citizens had hope, today it is no longer visible – neither among the socialist colleagues in the hall nor outside it.
I hope that next week we will have a serious discussion on the report before this parliamentary session closes and that in September we will start with a resolution, where the issue of the elections will be the first point. Not simply denouncing, but taking concrete measures to address this major obstacle to Albania's European path.
Because there is no greater obstacle for Albania than this government. There is no greater obstacle than the lack of political will.
Just as there has been no progress in these 12 years, forget that there will be with this government.
Thank you.