The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha, together with the Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption, Adea Pirdeni, launched from the School of Magistrates in Tirana the dialogue tour entitled “EU and You: Europe Starts at Home.”

According to Minister Hoxha, this initiative aims to foster an open conversation on the role of every citizen, ensuring that the process of European integration becomes tangible and meaningful for all. He emphasized that these meetings are not lectures, but genuine exchanges with young people.

“We have initiated this dialogue together with Minister Pirdeni and soon, with Chief Negotiator Dhuka, under the title — and this is the first time I mention it — ‘EU and You: Europe Starts at Home.’ In Albanian: ‘BE-ja dhe Ti – Evropa fillon këtu.’ It begins with each of us. Unless we understand our role, our share, our participation and our contribution, we cannot truly understand the process itself. Integration is not delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, nor by ministers, nor by the government alone.

We achieve integration together. It is first and foremost the responsibility of the negotiating team, their working groups, and civil servants, but also of a broad range of actors from civil society, the business community, and all sectors of activity in this country, each of whom has an irreplaceable role and contribution. If we succeed in sharing a common understanding of the process and if each of us contributes accordingly, then we will be worthy of taking our place at that table and within that family,” Hoxha stated.

The Minister underlined that enlargement is currently one of the five key priorities in Brussels, marking a moment when Albania’s interests align with those of the European Union.

“Never before, since 2004, has enlargement been discussed in Brussels with such sincerity, determination, and conviction, being recognized as an essential component in reshaping the European Union’s security architecture. Enlargement is not only important for us, but for the European Union itself. This is a moment of favorable convergence: our long-expressed and steadfast interests are now met with a clear and equally determined response from the European Union. For the first time, we have a real opportunity to turn this into reality,” Hoxha emphasized.

According to the Minister, Albania today possesses the capabilities, capacity, and energy to conclude accession negotiations within a relatively short timeframe, in line with a jointly agreed work plan with the European Commission — within two years.

“However, this is not an ambition we hold alone. It is supported by the very institution that negotiates on behalf of the 27 member states — the European Commission. We have a shared plan with the European Union, which we have fully implemented so far. During 2025, within a period of approximately 13 months, all chapters were opened — 33 chapters organized into 6 clusters. This did not happen merely because the European Union wished it so, but because Albania today has the capacity, responsibility, and ability to move forward,” he noted.