Why is this important: The 2025 budget highlights the government’s commitment to advancing EU integration and expanding international influence.

Why is this important: This meeting sets the stage for Albania, which will host the next summit in the first half of next year. Prime Minister Rama expressed Albania’s readiness and highlighted the significance of tackling pressing issues like climate change and other security concerns. The session provides an opportunity for European leaders to reinforce cooperation on matters that have broad implications for the continent’s stability and future.

Why is this important: Trump’s win has stirred an unusual situation in Albanian politics. The opposition Democrats are quick to portray Trump’s victory as a win for themselves, emphasizing their alignment with the American right and contrasting it with Rama’s socialist background. There is nothing new in this claim. During George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign, Albanian Democrats rallied with slogans like, “Bush won, [former Prime Minister] Nano is finished,” underscoring the symbolic influence of U.S. elections on Albanian politics. The hope among the Democrats is that the change of administration will help them get out of the political wilderness they have found themselves in for the past several years.

Why is this important: Diplomatic sources informed the Greek newspaper Protothema that history does not expire and continues to demand full respect for the rights of the Greek ethnic minority by Albania. This issue is an explicit condition for Albania’s EU membership process as agreed unanimously by the 27 EU member states on October 11, 2024.