Opposition Front: Enough with double standards, attacks on internationals are unacceptable

2026-04-23 19:14:00, Politikë CNA

Opposition Front: Enough with double standards, attacks on internationals are

The head of the SP parliamentary group, Taulant Balla, responded to DP MP Tritan Shehu in the Assembly by asking him whether the opposition will vote on the acts for the approximation of legislation with the EU.

He stressed that the draft laws are fully in line with the acquis communautaire and accused the opposition of unjustified opposition, despite pro-government statements in Brussels.

Balla also criticized the rhetoric towards international partners, calling the attack on European officials and leaders of allied countries unacceptable.

Finally, he underlined that Albania today enjoys a high level of international respect and that key moments for the country require political responsibility and cooperation.

Full reply:

Barcelona meeting. Now, first of all, about the law to be correct with the procedure: I listened to you attentively, I did not move from the hall for any of the speakers, whether left or right. And I have a question: will you now vote on this law or not? Because I listened to you when I showed you a summary of the first 6 months of the work of the Assembly, and when I told you that you did not vote on any of the laws that are the duty of the Albanian House for the approximation of legislation, Mr. Këlliçi came out, and said, excuse us, he says, but we did not know the list, because if we had known the list, we would have voted on these laws.

Now, since you probably don't know, even though you said it, press there, press Tritan, you have a screen in front of you, press, open that screen, go down, go to the law, there in the law you also have a compatibility table. Open the table, there are 123 pages. It is full compatibility with the exception of one case that does not have the Acquis, so it is not regulated, but in all articles there is full compatibility with the acquis communautaire. So, Albania has implemented the homework that the European Commission has set for us. I heard one of them say: "I won't vote for it, because I know what this law does to me." Okay, he doesn't vote for it because he has a personal problem with this law, and I agree. And you Tritan, why don't you vote for this law? And the rest of you, why don't you vote for it? This is an approximation, you have taken what regulations the EU has, we have decided. That German, Italian, Spanish businesses can operate in Albania, and vice versa, and Albanian businesses too. Now, what's your problem with this useless law? Or do you say come on, come on? So, to be fair, you said that when it comes to it, at least you say it there in Brussels like here, then you shake it, but there you said that when it comes to integration laws, we are ready to vote for them. So far, at least two people who have declared their vote have said: "We will not vote for it."

Let's know this, and be honest with each other, then when you say that we have not been hindered, blocked, rejected, not given space, our first duty here is legislation. If you exclude yourself from the laws of approximation of legislation, very well, I hear a whisper that you will vote for it, but in the Commission you voted against it. That's right. In the Commission you voted against it and this is a fact, that it cannot move.

Now, to conclude, I think that by the time we vote, even though I heard that there was a revolt not to participate in the minute of silence for academician Rexhep Qosja. It's okay, don't shame the Democratic Party, it doesn't deserve it. The Democratic Party doesn't deserve this shame from anyone who tells you not to do this moral act of the Albanian Parliament.

Third, about something I heard you and I heard colleague Shehu this morning, I also heard your legendary leader. Now, we respect all the commitments of your party in the political forums where you are a part. You are an associate member of the European People's Party, and you are also active in international organizations of the right, world. You are doing very well. Even though you have never heard our comments.

Now, the Socialist Party of Albania is a member of the Socialist International, it is an associate member of the European Socialist Party, supports the socialist and democratic group, as well as the group of European people's parties, I take the opportunity whenever I get the chance to thank both parties and I did this yesterday, for the two rapporteurs Andreas Schider and Andrej Kovacev, who have done an excellent job for the last report, to negotiate and to find the final formulations that will be presented in AFET on the 5th, but someone here from the leaders of the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, it is unacceptable for a member of the Democratic Party to come out and tell the German Vice Chancellor how the gentleman in question was addressed. The German Vice Chancellor was there with Prime Minister Rama...

Oh Tritan, he was there and I'll tell you that the German SPD is among the main initiators of the progressive alliance and now this global mobilization in defense of democratic values. Even the Spanish prime minister. A country that supports Albania 100%. Well, okay, what about the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, he was like you said, so please, I understand that you have your own internal order here, but at least for the important things of Albania, you can't get up and say what you said. To attack the German vice chancellor, to attack the chancellor, the prime minister of Spain, of Denmark, the leader of the Italian opposition, my friend Eli Schlein, who you also know, the Italian Democratic Party, or even your friend Kazini because he is there with us? Don't do these things because it's a shame? All this experience of 70-80 years that you've been coming and going, comes here and speaks irresponsibly. It doesn't work. Us. You go, the gentleman was all the way to Brazil, he went there, let's not say in... He went to Brazil, he had those meetings, very good, your job. And in the meantime you have 3 days, no... Well, when the prime minister went to Trump, you scream why he went to Trump. What did you have? That you started that... But one thing, it is a fact, and I believe that everyone agrees, never before in '35 years, but since 1912, if you like, Albania has not been at this level of international politics. At this level of respect, at this level of role, that Albania plays.

Read all the reports of the European Commission in order if you want. Albania is considered the country with a foreign policy 100% unified with the foreign policy of the European Union. It is a fact, Tritan or not. The time when you, together with that one there who is now asleep, because he was eating in the afternoon, accepted Albania in unacceptable conferences, while it is a fact that today our Albania is a country that enjoys the respect of all neighbors, partners, international, and now close these elections that you have in the party, very well done with these, and start now acclimatizing to the fact that next year Albania will not be the capital of Europe. But in the literal sense of the world.

Next year we welcome the largest security summit in the world, the NATO summit. Will Tritan come, raise your head, will Trump come here, and will you behave well? Yes, of course, you will not be able to sneak in there, because you have taught them that you sneak in, but you cannot enter there, because there are rules. Then it will come if the French president has not been elected yet, the dates are within those, within that deadline, but normally it will be on the dates that the summit is, President Macron will come, Prime Minister Starmer will come, Prime Minister Meloni will come, President Erdogan will come, and the leaders of the entire alliance will come. So start getting used to this, because you know very well, until 2013 we had a dropper with a dropper. While your poor one, no one expected him anywhere, thank you very much. / CNA