On the occasion of his official visit to Tirana, Albania, David SASSOLI, EP President, meets with Gramoz RUCI, Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, addresses in the plenary session and meets with Ilir META, President of Albania.

meeting

speech

official visit

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

EU - Albania (T)

Tirana

Albania

META, Ilir (AL)

RUҪI, Gramoz (AL)

Official visit by David SASSOLI, EP President to Tirana: meeting with Gramoz RUCI, Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, extracts from the address in the plenary session and meeting with Ilir META, President of Albania

Meeting with Gramoz RUCI, Speaker of the Albanian Parliament.

David SASSOLI. EP President, and Gramoz RUCI, Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, enter the meeting room.

<p>Presentation and introduction of EP President David SASSOLI (applauses).</p>

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, We start from the same idea, that should accompany us in the future: to reconcile the geographical and the political spaces and in the meanwhile allow our geographical map of Europe to fill this gap. This gap is the way that countries of the Western Balkans and Albania need to walk, in order have to give more integration to our countries and allow them to grow together.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, We are also convinced that this stop to the accession process is not a refusal, but a mishap, as it can happen in politics. It is a transitional moment in which we could also observe the reaction of the Albanian institutions and Albanian people. Because we understood that you do not want to renounce to a great period of reforms for this country. 

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, ep, My desire, dear colleagues, is that the negotiations could start as soon as possible, preferably before the summit in Zagreb.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP, Nonetheless, you will have to help other countries, and this is a duty. I congratulate for important progress achieved, such as the agreement on a working plan for the electoral reform. I really appreciated and I think this has been a meaningful political act, that majority and opposition were thinking together that the EU is their future.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, ep, That day at the European Council, 25 governments said "yes" and just 2 said "no". The European democracy cannot be locked. I believe that it has to be adjusted. I am convinced that the Albanian citizens will understand what has happened. But we understood that for you there is no plan b and that the EU and the will of joining this common story is a choice you have made a long time ago. We are very proud of this. 

David SASSOLI meets Ilir META, President of Albania (3 shots).