German MEP Jutta Paulus to join protest in Tirana: I want to take citizens’ voices to Brussels

German MEP Jutta Paulus has announced that on Monday she will take part in the protest being held in Tirana, a revolt that has entered its 26th day and in which citizens are demanding the government’s removal, the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, and the replacement of the country’s political class.

In a post on her official Instagram page, Paulus says that citizens are defending democracy and the rule of law, stressing that they are doing so with impressive courage and determination.

She writes that her aim is to listen to and understand people’s concerns, and then convey their voices to Brussels and Europe.

In her full post, the MEP stresses that Vjosa-Narta is much more than a coastal delta.

According to her, the issue is about whether nature will be protected or forced to give way to the short-term profit interests of billionaires. She also raises the question of whether democratic rules and environmental standards are applied even in cases when they do not align with a business model.

Paulus underlines that people are not only defending nature, but also democracy and the rule of law, doing so with impressive courage and determination.

She says that on Monday evening she will join the protests in Tirana, while on Tuesday she will visit Vjosa-Narta to see the situation on the ground firsthand.

“I want to listen, understand, and take people’s voices back to Brussels and to Europe,” she writes.

Further on, the MEP says that once a habitat is destroyed, it cannot simply be restored. For this reason, according to her, attention, clear standards, and the political will to enforce them are needed.

In the end, she declares that she stands in solidarity with everyone taking to the streets for Vjosa-Narta and its future.