Albanian Prime Minister Speaks Out Sharply on Ukraine’s Path to the EU — Welt
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama criticized the European Union’s approach to Ukraine’s accession negotiations. He stated that Ukraine would allegedly not be admitted through the standard procedure if it were required to meet all the criteria. Instead, Rama proposed granting Ukraine full membership “on the basis of merit.”
His remarks applied not only to Ukraine but also to Albania’s own experience and that of other Western Balkan countries, which are undergoing a lengthy process of EU accession. Rama stated that candidate countries have to meet an ever-increasing number of requirements before they can become members of the European Union. “The EU will probably demand even more effort from us. But we want to be part of it. Look at Ukraine. What they’re being promised is a lie,” said the Albanian prime minister.
According to Rama, Ukraine will allegedly be unable to go through the standard accession process by meeting all the necessary criteria. “They will never be accepted through the standard accession process by meeting all the criteria. Everyone knows that,” he said.
At the same time, Rama proposed a different approach. In his view, Ukraine should be brought into negotiations sooner and granted full membership based on its achievements. “A realistic solution would be to bring Ukraine into negotiations right now and grant it full membership on the basis of merit,” added the Albanian prime minister.
What’s Happening with Ukraine-EU Negotiations
Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in June 2022. In December 2023, EU leaders agreed to begin accession negotiations, which formally began in June 2024. In 2026, the negotiations moved to the next stage. In June, Ukraine and the EU opened the first negotiation cluster—“Fundamentals”—and in July, the cluster related to external relations. In total, the negotiation process consists of six thematic clusters.
The European Union emphasizes that accession depends on Ukraine’s implementation of the necessary reforms and bringing its legislation and state institutions into line with EU rules. Among the areas Ukraine is already working on, the European Commission cites judicial reform, the fight against money laundering, the modernization of public administration, and the protection of the rights of national minorities.
At the same time, Ukraine’s negotiations with the EU remain a complex political process. As of October 2026, some of the next stages of the negotiations had been blocked, in particular due to Hungary’s position. On October 1, a bill on education in the languages of national minorities was registered in the Verkhovna Rada; the Ukrainian side links this to the possibility of unblocking the next two negotiation clusters.
Albania itself is also in the process of negotiating EU accession. The country received candidate status in 2014 and officially began negotiations in 2022. By July 2026, Albania had already opened all 33 negotiation chapters and provisionally closed three of them. Rama’s statement, therefore, represents his political assessment of the EU’s current approach to enlargement. The European Union itself officially emphasizes the principle of accession based on results and the fulfillment of established criteria. Edi Rama spoke about this in an interview with the German publication Welt.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called on the European Union to move more quickly toward admitting the countries of the Western Balkans. In an interview with *Welt*, he compared the region’s lack of EU membership to an “open belly” into which dangerous influences can seep. Among such threats, Rama cited Russia, radical Islam, and crime.
