Prime Minister Edi Rama gave an interview to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, in which he spoke at length about the massive protests in the country, describing them as a movement that has changed over time.
Rama stressed that the protest is no longer just a civic environmental concern, but has also turned into a political confrontation because, according to him, the opposition and outside networks aiming to strike at the government have become involved.
Të lidhura
None found
The prime minister said that Donald Trump’s name has also brought an international dimension to the debate, claiming that Albania has turned into an arena for clashes between supporters and opponents of the former American president.
Regarding the Zvërnec project, Rama said that there is still no final project, no building permit and no construction site, and that this is why the government has nothing to stop.
As for accusations that the government is avoiding blocking the project because of the American administration, Rama denied this, saying that decisions will not depend on the investor’s name or pressure from social media networks, but only on whether standards are met.
The prime minister also said that citizens have the right to express their dissatisfaction, but added that the state cannot be governed by the remote control of social media because, in his view, decisions must be based on the law and institutions.
During the interview, Rama said he is not afraid of the crowd, while adding that digital hysteria is creating a false image of Albania. On corruption, Rama said he places more importance on the European Commission’s progress report than on perception-based indexes, arguing that investigations into senior officials show that justice is working.
Rama’s interview with Corriere della Sera:
Has the protest changed now?
Edi Rama: As the weeks have passed, the protest has changed in essence. Today it is no longer only a civic environmental concern. It is also a political protest, taken over by a coalition of oppositions, political actors and networks from outside, all of whom share one objective: to strike at the government. And there is also a global dimension here.
In what sense?
Edi Rama: The name Trump is not simply the name of an investor in this story: it is the greatest source of digital outrage in the world. Wherever the name Trump appears, political, media and digital armies are automatically activated, both for and against him. Because of this project, Albania has suddenly been turned into a small arena where global anti-Trumpists clash with Trump, while the real Albanian debate on the environment, development and the law is often drowned out by this imported noise. This does not devalue any sincere citizen who is protesting. But I have an obligation to distinguish between the citizen who is concerned about nature and the factories of hysteria trying to use Albania as a stage for their own battles.
The protesters are demanding that the government block the project in Zvërnec linked to the Trump family.
Edi Rama: The government has nothing to block, because a final project still does not exist. There is no building permit. There is no construction site. There is no final decision about which one could say: stop it. To demand the cancellation of a project that does not yet exist in its final form is a political demand, not a governmental decision. A serious government does not act on fantasies, but on documents, laws, studies and standards.
But what are you doing?
Edi Rama: We are waiting for the final project. And I hope it will be an extraordinary project, with architects, urban planners, environmental engineers, biodiversity experts and European standards of the highest level. My ambition is not for it to become just another resort, but a new development model in which tourism and nature do not exclude one another.
Why are you resisting the idea of blocking it? Are you afraid of the American administration?
Edi Rama: No. I am not afraid of the American administration, social media, or the crowd. I have a responsibility to Albania. The criterion will not be the name of the investor, nor the global noise for or against Trump. There will be only one criterion: does the project meet the legal, environmental, architectural and strategic standards that European Albania deserves? If yes, the project goes ahead. If not, it does not. Period.
You have used offensive terms toward the protesters. That is not a normal reaction…
Edi Rama: If any word of mine has hurt sincere people protesting out of concern for nature, I say without any difficulty: I am sorry. But I do not accept equating sincere citizens with the mud factories, political propaganda, anonymous accounts, slanderers, threat-makers and producers of hysteria. With the former I engage in dialogue. With the latter I confront.
You say people are misinformed. What is the truth?
Edi Rama: The truth is much simpler than the legend. No construction has started. There is no sale of Sazan. There is no concreting over the lagoon. There is nothing of the apocalypse that circulates every day on social media. What exists is a possible tourism development process, which will be reviewed solely on the basis of the law, environmental studies and international standards. And yes, our ambition is that any development there should not only avoid harming the environment, but should bring it measurable benefit.
I repeat: would it not be more reasonable to block the project, given the popular reaction?
Edi Rama: The popular reaction must be heard. But the state cannot be governed by the remote control of social media. If every process is stopped as soon as a digital storm is created, then we no longer have law, we no longer have an economy, we no longer have institutions. We have only fear. And fear is not public policy.
The protesters are calling for your resignation and also want you not to run again.
Edi Rama: In a democracy, resignations are not determined by megaphones, but by institutions and citizens through the vote. I have a clear mandate. Whoever thinks I should leave has the right to organize, compete and win the elections. That is democracy. Ultimatums are not democracy.
You have won elections, but dissatisfaction exists.
Edi Rama: Victory is not a vaccine against dissatisfaction. A mandate is not a license for self-satisfaction. There is a well-known phenomenon in politics: when a country improves, citizens become less tolerant of what still does not work. Better roads make potholes more irritating. Faster services make every delay more unbearable. The fight against corruption makes every scandal even more unacceptable. This is the revolution of rising expectations. And it is a sign that society has not given up. Our duty is to listen better, explain more clearly and correct more quickly.
But are these protests more against the project or against the government?
Edi Rama: They were born as a concern about the project. Today they are also a political protest against the government. That is not a problem. The opposition has the right to protest. The problem arises when the environment is used as a costume for a power battle that has nothing to do with the flamingos, the lagoon or the law.
You have spoken of foreign interference. Do you have evidence?
Edi Rama: I am talking about digital interference, not the citizens who come out onto the boulevard. They are two different things. We have seen artificial amplification from abroad, massive use of VPNs, anonymous accounts, platforms linked to propaganda ecosystems and actors with malicious intentions. The institutions will produce their report. But I want to be clear: foreign interference does not devalue the protest of sincere citizens. It only shows that their concerns are being used by others for other purposes.
Could it be that you are too focused on Albania’s image abroad, while neglecting domestic problems?
Edi Rama: Albania’s image abroad is not cosmetics. It is economy, investment, tourism, diplomacy, security and respect for Albanians. But yes, domestic problems are not solved with flags at international summits. Pensions, healthcare, property, everyday justice and public services: there is still a lot of work to do here. I do not deny it.
How do you respond to accusations of corruption, low pensions, weak healthcare and a lack of prospects for young people?
Edi Rama: I do not call them all accusations. Some are real problems. Pensions are still low. Healthcare still has open wounds. Legal insecurity does not disappear with one law. Young people want more and they are right. But today’s Albania is not yesterday’s Albania. Wages have risen. Employment has increased. The economy is stronger. Justice is reaching the untouchables. The country is closer to the European Union than ever before. This is not enough. But it is not little.
Transparency International ranks Albania among the most corrupt countries in Europe. Who bears responsibility?
Edi Rama: I am not influenced by reports based on perceptions. The report I take most seriously is the European Commission’s Progress Report. And there is one fact that says more than perceptions: in Albania, for the first time, justice is investigating ministers, mayors, MPs, entrepreneurs and powerful people. This is not the end of corruption, but it is the beginning of the end of untouchability. And that is a historic change.
You still retain electoral strength. Is that the government’s merit or the opposition’s weakness?
Edi Rama: Both. It would be arrogance to say only the first, and hypocrisy to deny the second. But no one wins for this long only thanks to the weakness of the opponent. People may be dissatisfied with many things, but they know how to distinguish between a force that works, makes mistakes, corrects itself and moves forward, and an opposition that often lives more off hatred toward me than off a project for Albania.
By the way, who is the leader of the opposition?
Edi Rama: The opposition should say that, not me. I do not appoint its leaders. The problem is that the opposition has more claimants to the throne of anger than bearers of a governing project. But that is its problem.
Are you afraid the protests will damage the tourist season?
Edi Rama: Not because of the protest. A country where people protest freely is a democratic country, not a dangerous one. My concern is the false image produced by digital hysteria: as if Albania were in chaos, as if it were on fire, as if it had no institutions. That is not true. Albania is open, safe, and this season will prove it once again.
Could the process of joining the European Union slow down?
Edi Rama: No. Peaceful protest does not harm the process. On the contrary, it shows that we have a free society. What would harm the European process would be replacing the rule of law with pressure from the street, or bringing back disinformation as public policy.
What solution do you propose to the protesters?
Edi Rama: Transparency, dialogue and facts. The solution cannot be: stop everything because I say so. The solution is: verify everything, correct what needs to be corrected, stop what conflicts with the law and the public interest, and allow what serves the country.
Some say there is no longer any difference between the Socialist Party and the state.
Edi Rama: That is a political thesis, not a fact. Albania has institutions. It has a justice system that makes decisions against people in the government and against the government itself. It has media where the overwhelming majority of content is critical of the government. It has an opposition that protests in front of my office. It has elections that are certified by Albanians. The formula that the party is the state is easy propaganda for a much more complex reality.
Is there anything you think you should have handled better during this month of protests?
Edi Rama: Of course there are things that could have been done better. There always are. But I do not regret not doing what the digital crowd demanded: declaring a process guilty before there was evidence and stopping a project before a project existed. My duty is not to be liked at every moment. My duty is to protect the law, the public interest and Albania’s future.
