“Albania is not for sale”
Greens/EFA in Tirana:
Today, a delegation of Greens/EFA MEPs and the European Green Party, including Co-Chair Vula Tsetsi, visits the Vjosa-Narta protected area, the planned Vlora airport and wider foreign luxury tourism developments around Sazan/Zvërnec.
Last night, the delegation joined peaceful protests in Tirana, Albania, where they gave speeches. For the Greens/EFA Group, this is a crucial moment for Albania’s EU accession path. A country moving towards EU membership must align with the EU acquis, respect the rule of law and protect nature.
MEP Tineke Strik, Greens/EFA negotiator on the European Parliament’s report on Albania, comments:
“We are in Tirana to support the people who have taken to the streets to say: Albania is not for sale. Albanians no longer accept that their precious nature is being sold out to rich and powerful foreign investors.
“And the people are not only angry about the destruction of nature, but also about the corruption and organised crime behind it. Albanians want a government that takes care of their interests. They want a democracy like in any other European country.
“We joined the protests to bring this message back to Brussels, to support the people here, and to reassure them that we will take their fight back with us and keep fighting for them there too.“
Vula Tsetsi, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, comments:
“We are in Albania supporting people here who are defending their country’s beautiful nature, as well as the rule of law and democracy. This is not just an environmental issue. It is a test of whether the rules that we all live by apply equally to everyone, including the rich, and those in power. The European Commission cannot look away while our fundamental values are breached. It has a responsibility to ensure that countries seeking EU membership fully respect the rule of law, democracy and the principles on which the European Union is built.”
“Prime Minister Rama is an associate member of the Party of European Socialists. We expect the PES to stand by the principles that it claims to defend: the rule of law, democracy, transparency and accountability. These values must be upheld consistently if the European Union and its political families are to remain credible in the eyes of the people of Albania.”
