Edi Rama made his message loud and clear at the Karlspreis panel—Albania has no backup plan. It’s EU or nothing.
Speaking alongside European heavyweights like Martin Schulz and Veronika Tsepkalo, Rama didn’t sugarcoat it. He argued that without EU membership, Albania’s democracy and rule of law are on shaky ground.
“There’s no justice without the EU. No equality before the law. For the first time ever, powerful politicians are facing independent judges. That never happened from 1912 until now,” he said.
He even took a swipe at the opposition, joking that his government could fund next year’s award since “they’re not doing well financially.”
Rama compared Albania’s EU dream to marriage—full of hope and idealism. But he also had a warning: Europe is at a turning point. It will either make or break.
