H.E. Mr. Qirjako Qirko:

In Albania, support for EU membership is at more than 95%. I do not know who the 5% who do not support it are. The polls show that that is the current level of support among the population. Regarding the reforms, the biggest reform in my country has been to fight corruption. The best way to fight corruption, considering the experience of EU countries, is to avoid any contact. In any tender or competition, such as in road construction, any company that would like to apply to bid must do everything through computers or mobile communications. There is no direct contact. Nobody knows what the offer is. The reaction has been very positive. As I mentioned, the judiciary has been the most corrupt institution. Around 60% of magistrates have not passed this specific vetting process. We are facing a problem in my country because some youngsters are leaving the country because of the opportunity they find in other countries.

We have many positive things. One is the education of the people. The standard of Albanian schools in general is very good, so it is easy for young people to be integrated in countries that they are trying to reach. With the reforms that my government is implementing, we think that they will come back soon. Tourism is one area that is developing fast. This year, the number of tourists who visited my country was 20% higher than in 2018, which was the best year that we had. Approximately 6 million tourists visited my country this year. There have been huge investments in this area.