TIRANA, November 10 /ATSH/ – Prime Minister Edi Rama stated today that democracy is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement from every nation. He also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in accelerating reforms and aligning Albanian legislation with European Union standards.
During the “Peace Forum” held at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, Rama remarked: “Democracy is not perfect; it must always be refined. Therefore, we have much work to do in this regard. France, too, must take steps in this direction. Every country must take steps in this direction. It never ends.”
Regarding artificial intelligence and its impact on the European integration process, the prime minister stated that Albania is utilizing this technology to accelerate the alignment of its legislation with the European Union *acquis*.
“It is not Albania that sets the regulations—the European Union creates the regulations. Our role is to develop whatever we can in the field of artificial intelligence. As you may be aware, we have the first-ever Minister for Artificial Intelligence, and we are very pleased with her work. It is improving day by day,” stated Rama.
He emphasized that artificial intelligence has been employed to transform the process of aligning Albanian legislation with European law, resulting in a significant acceleration of the work.
“Croatia, for instance—an excellent example—required seven years to carry out this transposition, mobilizing an entire army of translators, legal experts and so on. We are now accomplishing this job very rapidly,” he said. The prime minister announced that work is underway on a public procurement system powered by artificial intelligence, describing it as a significant shift in how this process is managed.
“We are also working on an initiative—which I truly hope will succeed—involving a public procurement process handled entirely by artificial intelligence. This will be a complete game-changer, not just for us but for everyone else, as it will help address many of the issues associated with public procurement,” said Rama.
According to him, new technologies represent a major opportunity for countries that began their technological development later.
“In this sense, artificial intelligence is a blessing for countries like ours—nations that started from far behind. Artificial intelligence and similar technologies enable us to accomplish things that would otherwise be beyond our reach,” the prime minister emphasized.
Rama noted that 95% of public services in Albania are now provided online. And he also spoke about development of a new digital system, which will transform the relationship between citizens and public institutions.
The prime minister also mentioned Germany as an example, pointing to the challenges that large, bureaucratic administrations can face when adapting to the digital age.
“For us, it’s a blessing; for Germany, it hasn’t been. Germany is struggling to adapt to this new digital era precisely because it possessed an incredibly sophisticated bureaucratic ‘machine’ that was constantly in motion. Turning such a massive ‘ship’ to change course is far more difficult than maneuvering our own ‘speedboat,’ which can pivot much more quickly,” Rama concluded. /gj.m/r.e/a.f/p.s./
