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Protest against Rama, MEP speaks: We serve people, not interests, the government should listen to citizens

Politiko 2026-06-30 18:26:35

Protest against Rama, MEP speaks: We serve people, not interests, the government

MEP for the Greens Group in the European Parliament, Cristina Guarda, has commented on the citizen protests that have been taking place in Tirana for more than a month, emphasizing that political institutions must listen to the voice of citizens when it becomes widespread and continuous.

She told News24 that it is not her place to judge the justice of the demands, but according to her, the presence of a large number of protesters shows the need for dialogue and reflection on the part of politics.

“It is not my role to analyze the demands and whether they are fair or not. But I would say that when there are such a large number of people who are demanding to be heard and seen by a politician, it is necessary to understand why and what is happening. And so, not only to retreat in a political way, but for politicians to open their ears to listen to the people. That is what matters. We are serving the people, not the interests ,” she said.

Speaking about the recent European Parliament resolution and concerns over developments in protected areas in Albania, Guarda stressed that the Green Group has proposed an amendment to suspend the project in Zvërnec, pending full verification of compliance with EU standards and the inclusion of civil society in environmental assessments.

"No, and that's why we as the Green Group were the ones who proposed the famous amendment that called for the project to be stopped and the moratorium until we understand that the EU framework is being fully respected. We need to have an environmental assessment, an autonomous assessment with the participation of civil society. And, if I may say, this is an Albanian problem, okay, but in Italy we are living almost the same situation.

So, with a five-star resort, without listening to the people and without environmental assessment. I want to say that entering the European Union is not enough. We must be, as citizens and politicians, coherent and control what is happening, respecting our laws and understanding the importance of these laws. That is why I felt so precious the activism of citizens on environmental issues and for the coherence of a policy that is made for the people", she said.

According to her, similar problems with lack of transparency and environmental impact are also emerging in other European countries, including Italy, where similar developments are taking place without sufficient public consultation.

The MEP underlined that the EU integration process is not enough on its own if it is not accompanied by real respect for laws and democratic standards.

"It's very important, but not only for a country that wants to be part of the EU, but also for the member states that are already in the EU. Usually politicians at this moment... I feel that many politicians around the world are making choices without respecting the will of the citizens. So I want to say that I participate in these protests and I appreciate the sensitivity, the sense of democracy that people are asking for. But in the meantime, I am also asking my people in Italy and in Europe to be flexible and also to be willing to ask more of the politicians," she said.

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