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On the electoral tour from Vlora, Gjirokastra, Lezha, Shkodra and further to other cities, Prime Minister Edi Rama has placed European integration at the center of the campaign for the May 11 elections, presenting the vote for the Socialist Party as a "strong message" that, according to him, will accelerate Albania's membership negotiations in the European Union.
Rama is offering Albanians the mirage of a "European passport" by describing in detail the document that will bring them benefits in the economy, in health care, in studies for the young, or at airport counters.
But in the prime minister's rhetoric, integration into the European Union is closely linked to the May 11 vote.
"If on May 11, Albania gives Europe the popular message that we are clear about what we need to do by 2027, that is one thing. But if Albania gives a message that the people are concerned with Kujtim Gjuzi's mustache, then we are weaker there," Rama said in Vlora, inviting citizens to vote for the Socialist Party in order not to "close the door to the EU."
In Lezha, he continued along the same lines, suggesting that a victory beyond the normal majority for the SP is crucial for the success of the negotiations and for faster EU membership.
While in Shkodra, the prime minister went even further, when he referred directly to Brussels officials, who according to him are following developments in Albania and expect to read the Socialist Party's victory, either as a "meaningful" pro-European Union result or not.
"The result may be arithmetically ok for us, but it may not be a meaningful enough result for those on the other side, for those in Brussels, for those who are current EU members," Rama told young people in Shkodra.
"They follow everything that happens, especially a country that they are thinking of taking in. And if Albanians with that vote say: "We are more than the normal majority that has the forces that govern because we want Albania in the EU", then this gives us a lot of strength in negotiations and gives us a lot of speed in membership," he added.
But when Rama's electoral rhetoric is contrasted with the official position of the European Union Delegation in Tirana, the reality turns out to be different.
Lapsi.al inquired with the EU Delegation in Tirana and received a simple fact in response, in contrast to Rama's rhetoric in the May 11 campaign; that integration does not depend on the outcome of the elections or the victory of any particular political force, but is a comprehensive and meritocratic process.
Asked whether the result of May 11 will affect the perception of European Union officials about Albania's integration process, the delegation office responded that:
"Regardless of the outcome of the elections, the EU will continue to support Albania on its European path, working side by side with Albanian institutions and all segments of society," the EU delegation's response to Lapsi.al states.
The EU clearly reiterates that membership is a merit-based process, where concrete progress in meeting the criteria is assessed – not electoral propaganda, nor rhetoric from the stands, nor arithmetic results from the ballot boxes.
Asked whether Albania's integration into the European Union would be accelerated if the Socialist Party wins a fourth governing mandate, the delegation's office responded that:
"EU membership is a merit-based process and each candidate is assessed on the basis of its progress towards fulfilling all criteria," the EU emphasizes, specifically mentioning the priorities: the rule of law, the fight against corruption, media freedom and institutional reforms.
The statements are in stark contrast to Rama's attempt to sell a local vote for the SP as a passport to Brussels.
Rama's rhetoric attempts to convert European integration into electoral capital for the Socialist Party, while the EU says the opposite: that this is a national process, requiring institutional commitment, political consensus, and deep reforms.
Asked whether the European Union would read the victory "beyond the normal majority by the Socialist Party in the May 11 elections" as a strong message from Albanians in favor of integration into the European Union, the delegation office responded that:
"The process of Albania's integration into the EU is a national strategic objective, which is strongly supported by the vast majority of citizens in Albania and enjoys full cross-party support," was the response to Lapsi.al.
Essentially, what Rama presents as a vote for the European Union, the EU delegation defines as a process that belongs to all of Albanian society, regardless of who is in power.
"At the end of 2024, Albania opened the first two groups of chapters (fundamentals and external relations) within a short time frame and we expect the dynamics in the membership negotiations to continue," the delegation's response states.
If one thing is clear from this contrast, it is that the European Union rejects the Socialist Party's campaign slogans, which attempt to pocket a process as broad as the country's integration into the EU. Contrary to the Socialist Party's rhetoric, Europe will be brought to Albania by election standards, the rule of law, media freedom or the fight against corruption, and not by speeches that link the fate of the nation to the victory of a party./ Lapsi.al
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