Tirana, 17 May 2025 The Sixth Summit of the European Political Community (EPC), held in Tirana on 16 May 2025, convened 47 European leaders in a highly symbolic gathering that showcased continental unity in the face of geopolitical volatility. Under the banner “New Europe in a New World: Unity – Cooperation – Joint Action,” the summit brought Albania to center stage — not only as a host but as a country eager to assert its European credentials.
While the summit projected a message of strategic solidarity against Russian aggression and the erosion of democratic norms, its timing and domestic backdrop sparked considerable debate over its true substance and implications for Albania’s internal and European trajectory.
A Diplomatic Stage with Lofty Ambitions
Co-hosted by European Council President António Costa and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, the summit centered on key themes such as peace and security in Europe, economic resilience, and youth empowerment. Costa emphasized Europe’s responsibility to support Ukraine and invest in collective defense, warning that “peace without defense is an illusion.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proclaimed that “Europe is awake – wide awake,” framing the EPC as a bulwark against fragmentation.
Prime Minister Rama struck a more philosophical tone, evoking the Balkan region’s war-scarred memory as a lesson in the value of peace. “The enemies of peace should not drag us into the glorification of weapons,” Rama said, calling for a broader European vision grounded not only in military capability but also in reconciliation and cohesion.
EU Integration: Rhetoric vs. Reality
The summit also served as an opportunity for Albania to amplify its message of commitment to European integration. Prime Minister Rama reiterated his government’s goal of closing all negotiation chapters within two years and achieving full EU membership by 2030. Since opening accession talks in December 2024, Albania has been vocal in presenting itself as a frontrunner among Western Balkan candidates.
However, this timeline has been met with skepticism by domestic and international observers alike. Experts from the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) have described the 2027/2030 goal as “highly ambitious, if not outright utopian.” Former chief EU negotiator Zef Mazi was even more blunt, stating publicly that “closing the chapters by 2027 and joining by 2030 is simply an illusion.”
Their assessments point to the vast reforms still needed in Albania — particularly in judiciary independence, corruption control, and democratic accountability — to meet EU accession criteria.
A Summit Shadowed by Controversial Elections
The EPC summit occurred just one week after Albania’s parliamentary elections, which handed Rama’s Socialist Party a near-absolute majority. Though hailed by the ruling party as a “decisive mandate,” independent analysts likened the result to a “Pyrrhic victory” — achieved under a deeply controversial process that has only heightened political polarization.
The opposition denounced the vote as a “farce”, and international observers raised serious concerns about its fairness. According to election monitors, the contest was “not a level playing field,” but rather a “struggle between the state and the opposition.” They documented a pattern of systemic irregularities, including vote buying, voter intimidation, misuse of state resources, and — most alarmingly — the involvement of criminal networks linked to state structures. Such allegations directly undermine the credibility of Albania’s EU integration claims, as democratic standards and rule of law are cornerstones of the accession process.
Symbolism vs. Spectacle: Critics Push Back
The summit’s staging also drew criticism. Diplomat Agim Nesho argued that the event was carefully choreographed by Rama as a personal spectacle rather than a genuine diplomatic moment. Nesho dismissed the government’s claim that this was the first EPC summit held in a non-EU country, noting that Moldova had hosted a similar gathering in 2023 — with clearer outcomes.
He condemned the extravagant costs of the summit, including luxury hospitality and symbolic gestures like Rama’s public bow to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, calling it unbecoming of a national leader. “He behaves like a master of ceremonies, not a statesman,” Nesho remarked, warning that such performative diplomacy could overshadow the country’s deeper democratic deficiencies.
Nesho also reiterated concerns about Albania’s evolving role in EU migration policies, claiming the country is becoming a “septic tank” for migrants and detainees redirected from EU member states under bilateral agreements — further exposing structural imbalances in Albania-EU relations.
Albania’s EU Bid Undermined by organized Crime, Weak Institutions, and Mass Emigration
Edi Rama has promised Albanians swift accession to the European Union. However, according to Katharina Hofmann, head of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Tirana, this objective is not secure for a country like Albania, where institutional weaknesses are serious. The arrest of the mayor of Tirana in February was a highly suspicious moment for the ruling Socialist Party. Erion Veliaj – a member of the party’s leadership and a trusted ally of Rama, according to the head of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Tirana – was accused and arrested by SPAK for nine counts of bribery, money laundering, and income concealment, she writes for the ipg.journal.de.
Reports from credible international organizations show that Albania is a “hub” for international organized crime – here, too, its geographical position plays a key role, Hofmann continues in her analysis. “Access to the Adriatic and the connection to global maritime trafficking creates conditions for illicit trade. Especially cocaine from Ecuador has been identified as a financial source for Albanian criminal networks. These funds are laundered in the construction sector, which appears to the public through modern, often empty buildings – driving real estate prices to insane levels. Fuel and food are expensive, but wages are low. Even though tourism is positive for the economy, it raises prices and does not create stable jobs for locals. The social security system remains weak – a crucial indicator for EU enlargement that still hasn’t met even the minimum standard.” Hofmann says that to this should be added “the dramatic brain drain. Educated youth are leaving en masse – a self-inflicted loss of human capital: without doctors, nurses, and qualified professionals, the quality of life further declines. Politically, Albania may be on the path to Europe. But economically, socially, and in terms of the rule of law, the country is facing a difficult test – and standing on shaky ground for a credible EU accession.”
Between Promise and Pretense
The EPC summit in Tirana was rich in symbolism and diplomacy, affirming Europe’s collective stance in uncertain times and spotlighting Albania’s role in regional affairs. But the deeper narrative is more complex: Albania’s ambitions to join the EU by 2030 are undercut by governance issues, democratic backsliding, and the integrity of its political process.
As the EU prepares for its next EPC summit in Denmark later this year, Albania finds itself walking a tightrope — seeking international validation abroad while struggling with democratic legitimacy at home. Whether it can turn symbolic participation into substantive progress will depend not on stagecraft, but on structural reforms and political will.
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