French President Emmanuel Macron and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama hold a joint press conference after their meeting in Tirana, Albania, on May 17, 2025. (Credit: Valdrin Xhemaj/Reuters.)
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday in Tirana encouraged tourists to come to Europe, and visit Albania, a country he assured would be in the European Union in "two years."
Europe is a "stable and reliable place," he emphasized during an economic forum, "Europe Priority," organized by the Future Investment Initiative (FII) institute of advertiser Richard Attias.
"And in this crazy world, do not underestimate the strength of such qualities," he insisted, as the summit aimed to connect European leaders and innovators with sovereign funds and business leaders from the Middle East, Asia, and the United States.
Albania is a "gateway" to the Balkans and more broadly to the Mediterranean basin, the French president continued. "And in two years, as he (Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, ed.) has a clear mandate, it will join the EU," assured the French president.
Macron also once again justified the dissolution of the National Assembly, which fragmented the political landscape in France and caused significant concern amongst foreign investors due to the lack of a majority.
"We are in a phase of stabilization ... by the end of my term (in 2027, ed.), I want all political forces within a certain spectrum to work together and learn to do so," he insisted, effectively excluding the far right and the radical left.
Accession negotiations began in 2022, "and if we do our homework well, we could close them by 2027. That would be incredible," Albanian Prime Minister noted in an interview with AFP.
Albania is by far the most Europhile country in the Balkans: in 2024, 92% of the population said they were ready to vote "yes" if a referendum were held on EU membership - compared to 40% in Serbia.
The challenges to meeting the accession criteria remain immense, especially in terms of combating corruption: ministers and several high-ranking officials, former President Ilir Meta, and the mayor of Tirana - a close associate of Edi Rama - are in detention on suspicion of embezzlement.