site.btaAlbanian Parliament Speaker: European Integration Is Not Bureaucratic Process, but Internal Transformation
European integration is not a bureaucratic process from Brussels, but a profound internal transformation, said the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Elisa Spiropali, who took part in a forum organized by PanEuropa-Bulgaria at the Central Military Club as part of her two-day visit to Bulgaria.
“When we talk about European integration, it is important not to focus only on the milestones and tasks, which sometimes sound foreign to our citizens, but to turn this process into a national conversation—what it means to be part of the EU, what responsibilities this entails, but also what benefits it brings to people,” she said.
In Albania, 95% of the population supports European integration – this is a huge responsibility, Spiropali added. She emphasized that the European Union is Albania's “natural family”.
“Albania, although part of the Balkans and the Mediterranean, was forcibly isolated from Europe by a brutal communist regime. People could not travel, Europe was a dream, heard only on Italian radio stations,” she told the forum participants.
“The desire for Europe was so strong that even repression could not stop it. Today, the EU is our natural family, as we call it. The integration process is an opportunity for us to change our society through reforms and policies,” she commented.
The Speaker of the Albanian Parliament also commented that her country is a leader among the candidates for EU membership, as it has already opened 24 negotiation chapters.
Elisa Spiropali participated in the forum together with Bulgarian Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova.
/DS, MT/
Additional
news.modal.image.header
news.modal.image.text
news.modal.download.header
news.modal.download.text
news.modal.header
news.modal.text