"Albania at the crossroads"/ Former Polish MEP: Corruption and immigration, the biggest challenges for the country

Former MEP Ryszard Czarnecki, in an article for the Polish media " DoRzeczy ", wrote about Albania, considering it a country challenged by corruption and mass immigration.

Czarnecki writes that he met with the leader of the opposition Sali Berisha, currently under house arrest, and Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Czarnecki points out that Albania is widely perceived in Europe as one of the poorest and most corrupt countries, along with Moldova.

Another issue Czarnecki mentions is Russian influence in the region. While Albania officially supports Ukraine in the war against Russia, he points out that Russian ships still reach Albanian ports, raising unclear questions among local residents about the goals of this activity.

According to Czarnecki, widespread corruption is one of the biggest problems eroding Albania, also limiting life prospects for young Albanians. He singles out mass emigration as a serious blow to the Albanian economy and state, with 700,000 Albanians leaving the country, most of whom do not plan to return except for holidays.

Full text:

Earlier I met the president and prime minister Sali Berisha, anti-communist and right-wing, with whom I now talked for more than 1.5 hours in his private apartment – ​​he is under house arrest ordered by the current authorities! - but also with the socialist Edi Rama, in power since 2013, a painter by profession, the son of a sculptor.

In the general perception in Europe, Albania, together with Moldova, is considered the poorest and most corrupt country of the Old Continent. She is running for the European Union, while Albanians ask me how it is possible that Chisinau, according to them even poorer and more corrupt, has already signed the association agreement with the EU - and Tirana has not. All the more - they emphasize - that there are Russian troops in the Moldovan territory (in Transnistria), while in Albania, of course, not.

Russian influence – compared to other countries of the Western Balkans, of which Albania is a part – is definitely greater in Serbia, and perhaps in Montenegro as well, than here. Tirana officially supports Kiev in the war against Moscow, but Russian ships reach Albanian ports freely. Local residents don't know why? Contraband? Or something related to the war in Eastern Europe?

A major problem eroding this country is widespread corruption, which also limits the life prospects of young Albanians. Immigration is very large. 700,000 people have left here, who don't think of coming back, and if they come, it's only for vacations. In a situation where "Albania" - this is the Albanian name of this country - officially has a little more than 3 million inhabitants, such a large emigration is a serious blow to the economy and state of the state.