"A divided Europe is manipulable"/ Rama calls for full reunification of the EU

2025-11-21 16:00:00, Politikë CNA

"A divided Europe is manipulable"/ Rama calls for full reunification

Prime Minister Edi Rama participated today in the opening ceremony of the 2025/2026 Academic Year of the College of Europe, where he delivered a speech focused on the future of the European Union and the enlargement process with the Western Balkan countries.

In his speech, Rama emphasized that reunification is the force that has healed Europe since the beginning of the European project. He brought up the historical examples of Franco-German reconciliation and the reunification of Germany, emphasizing that these moments were “healing for Europe and engines of peace.”

According to him, each EU expansion has brought not just geographical growth, but an expansion of the space of peace, making conflicts between once adversarial states "almost unimaginable."

"Reunification fulfills the promise of Europe," Rama said, recalling the 2003 Thessaloniki commitment to the integration of the Western Balkans.

The Prime Minister underlined that the new member states are not a burden for the EU, but "untapped engines of energy and youth", drawing parallels with previous waves of enlargement that transformed the union.

Rama warned that a divided Europe is more vulnerable:

“Reunification protects Europe from itself. A divided Europe is easier to manipulate; a united Europe is invincible.”

He responded to skeptics who question the EU's ability to function with more member states, emphasizing that the challenge should prompt reflection and not complacency:

"There are those who ask how we can move to 29 or 35 members when we can barely function with 27. Their argument is understandable. But precisely for this, we must put aside our egos and think as Europeans about a common Europe."

In closing, Rama stated that the Western Balkan countries do not seek privileges, but the opportunity "to serve Europe so that Europe can continue to serve peace."/ CNA