In a speech delivered in Berlin, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called on the European Union to embrace a "Helmut Kohl moment" — a decisive, strategic push to complete the reunification of the continent by integrating the Western Balkans. Speaking at the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, Rama framed enlargement not as a bureaucratic process but as a geopolitical necessity.
Rama invoked the legacy of Helmut Kohl, the former German chancellor who pushed through reunification against widespread caution and skepticism. "He saw it as a geopolitical necessity," Rama said. "Against caution. Against skepticism. Against the conventional wisdom of the time." The prime minister argued that Europe today faces a similar crossroads: whether to treat reunification as an aspiration to be indefinitely managed or as a necessity to be accomplished.
The Missing Link in Europe's Strategic Vision
Rama pointed to a recent European Council blueprint for integration, which he described as ambitious but incomplete. "One thing was missing: the Western Balkans," he said. "A region entirely surrounded by the European Union. A region physically located at the heart of Europe. A region absent from Europe's vision of itself." He likened this omission to an empty space at the center of a canvas, warning that Europe risks painting a self-portrait that resembles Edvard Munch's "The Scream."
The prime minister drew on historical parallels, noting that the Roman Via Egnatia — a corridor connecting East and West — crossed what is now Albania. "Connectivity is not infrastructure. Connectivity is power," he said. "And a system is only as strong as its missing link." Today, Europe discusses energy corridors, digital networks, and military mobility, yet the region through which many of these corridors pass remains outside the architecture.
Rama emphasized that Albania has opened all thirty-three negotiating chapters faster than any candidate country in EU enlargement history. He set a clear target: to conclude negotiations by 2027 and become a full member before the end of the decade. "For Albania, accession is not simply about entering a club," he said. "It is about transforming our state, our institutions, and our way of thinking."
The speech comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions, with war on Europe's eastern flank and strategic competition intensifying globally. Rama argued that in such circumstances, "strategic hesitation becomes a luxury and fragmentation becomes a vulnerability." He called on the EU to recognize that the Western Balkans are not a periphery but a strategic asset — one that China and Russia already understand.
Rama's remarks also touched on domestic challenges. Albania has faced protests over a controversial resort development linked to Jared Kushner, with demonstrators citing environmental concerns and political tensions. The EU has warned on environmental rules, and the protests have entered their 14th day. Rama's government has pledged compliance with EU environmental standards for the project.
In closing, Rama quoted Konrad Adenauer, one of the founding fathers of modern Europe: "European unity was a dream of a few. It became a hope for many. Today it is a necessity for all of us." He urged the EU to act with the same courage that Kohl showed in 1990, warning that the window for strategic decision-making is narrowing.
