Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has given an interview to Euronews.com on the current situation in Europe and the challenges facing the continent. Rama spoke about EU enlargement and the integration process of the Western Balkan countries.
Is Europe Ready for Its Next Helmut Kohl Moment?
Speaking in Berlin, the city that became a symbol of both division and reunification in Europe, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama presented a broad vision for the continent’s future, urging the European Union to demonstrate the same strategic courage that enabled German reunification more than three decades ago.
Addressing leading German business figures at the German Eastern Business Association in Berlin, Rama argued that Europe is approaching a defining moment in its history—one that requires leadership rather than bureaucracy.
“Berlin is the place where perhaps the greatest geopolitical transformation of our lifetime became reality. Not only because a wall fell, but because after the wall fell, a leader emerged with the courage to understand what history required next. Helmut Kohl did not see German reunification as an administrative challenge. He saw it as a geopolitical necessity. Against caution. Against skepticism. Against the conventional wisdom of the time,” Rama said.
The Albanian leader repeatedly referred to former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl as an example of political leadership capable of recognizing strategic realities before institutions fully grasped them.
“I increasingly believe that Europe itself is approaching a similar moment. A moment when continuing to manage reality through procedures, hesitation, and inherited assumptions is becoming more dangerous than making strategic decisions. A moment that calls for what I would describe as a new Helmut Kohl moment.”
According to Rama, the European Union is making a strategic mistake by discussing the future architecture of the continent while leaving the Western Balkans outside the process.
“Because Europe today faces an issue remarkably similar to the one Germany faced then,” he said, highlighting the growing importance of energy infrastructure, digital networks, military mobility, and critical raw materials. He argued that the region has become central to Europe’s ambitions.
“The energy corridors Europe needs pass through our geography. The digital networks Europe wants require our territory. The critical minerals Europe has suddenly rediscovered as strategic lie beneath our soil. China understands this. Russia certainly understands it. Europe understands it too. Yet sometimes it forgets when designing its own plans,” Rama said.
For Albania, he added, EU membership is not simply a political objective but a transformative project.
‘Give Us Seats Before You Give Us Vetoes’
Rather than waiting for full membership, Rama proposed the gradual integration of candidate countries into key European structures.
“Bring us now into Europe’s strategic architecture. Give us seats before you give us vetoes. Give us participation before you give us commissioners. Give us responsibilities before you give us institutional decorations. Bring us into the Energy Union, the Digital Union, common security frameworks, joint financial instruments, and shared supply chains,” he said in Berlin.
Once again drawing parallels with German reunification, Rama added:
“Helmut Kohl did not ask whether reunification was administratively perfect. He asked whether continued division remained strategically acceptable. That is a profoundly different question. And perhaps it is the question Europe must ask itself today.”
Artificial Intelligence, Democracy, and the Battle for Truth
The second major theme of Rama’s speech focused on artificial intelligence and what he described as a growing threat to democratic societies from algorithm-driven manipulation.
“For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, technological leadership may determine not only who becomes wealthier, but also who remains sovereign,” he said.
Rama highlighted Albania’s digital transformation efforts, stating that “Albania is pursuing one of the most ambitious digital transformations in Europe.”
At the same time, he warned that technological progress is reshaping the information environment in ways that threaten democratic institutions.
“An algorithm can now achieve in minutes what propaganda machines once needed years to accomplish.”
The Albanian Prime Minister questioned whether military spending alone can protect European democracies.
“We are discussing sovereignty. Europe is investing hundreds of billions of euros in military capabilities, air defense systems, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and strategic autonomy. All of this is necessary. But what value will all these shields have if our societies remain defenseless against the systematic manipulation of human minds?” he asked.
“Europe does not only need a shield against missiles. It also needs a shield for the algorithmic age.”
Kushner Project Sparks Protests
Rama’s comments came amid growing protests over a controversial tourism development project on Albania’s southern Adriatic coast linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The proposed investment includes developments on Sazan Island and a nearby stretch of coastline. The Albanian government has promoted the project as a major opportunity to attract high-end tourism and stimulate economic growth.
However, environmental organizations and local activists have raised concerns about the potential impact on protected habitats and biodiversity. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, blowing whistles and carrying flamingo cut-outs, arguing that the development could threaten the habitat of migratory bird species.
The demonstrations have also evolved into a broader political movement, with some protesters calling for Rama’s resignation and early elections.
Without directly mentioning the project, Rama referred to the controversy as an example of how social media can spread misinformation and amplify public anger.
“In recent weeks, my country experienced a vivid example. A proposed tourism development project on Albania’s coast suddenly became the center of an international digital storm. Environmental catastrophe was presented as established fact. Corruption was declared proven before any evidence existed. Conspiracies multiplied by the hour. Claims became headlines. Headlines became truths. Truths became dogmas. And anyone asking for evidence was treated as suspicious.”
Rama argued that public debate surrounding the project had become detached from facts and claimed that online campaigns were accelerating the spread of unverified accusations.
“Outrage generated millions of impressions before facts had the chance to speak. Narratives traveled around the world before documented procedures could travel across a single room. This is no longer an Albanian phenomenon. It is a European phenomenon.”
He has repeatedly rejected calls to halt the development and defended his government’s environmental record, while also suggesting that foreign cyber actors have attempted to influence public debate surrounding the project.
European Union officials are monitoring the development as part of Albania’s accession process to ensure compliance with EU environmental and governance standards.
Rama’s appeal for EU membership comes as Albania continues efforts to demonstrate progress in the rule-of-law reforms required by Brussels.
This week, Albania’s Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) launched another major operation targeting an alleged international drug trafficking and money laundering network. Prosecutors say criminal proceeds were funneled into sectors including real estate, construction, and hospitality, with assets worth approximately €150 million seized.
The operation forms part of a broader anti-corruption campaign that Albanian authorities present as evidence of the country’s readiness to move closer to EU membership. Despite these efforts, Albania continues to face criticism over organized crime and corruption.
For Rama, however, the larger question is no longer whether Albania is ready for Europe, but whether Europe is ready for Albania.
“Europe today needs courage. The courage of Adenauer. The courage of Kohl. The courage to reunite. The courage to innovate. The courage to recognize that enlargement is not charity.”
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