Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama criticized the UK Home Secretary on Thursday over the planned deportation of 700 Albanian families, describing the move as a politically motivated exaggeration.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025–2026 academic year at the College of Europe, Rama said Europe is “not a geography, but a choice,” emphasizing the importance of cooperation over conflict.
Rama argued that in a country of 67 million, 700 families represent “a statistical whisper,” and accused the British minister of using the issue for political gain.
“Europe is not a place; it is a decision—the decision to choose cooperation over confrontation,” Rama said. “A few days ago, the UK Home Secretary highlighted 700 Albanian families whose asylum applications were rejected. In a population of 67 million, this is a political siren blown out of proportion.”
Rama noted that irregular arrivals from Albania to the UK have nearly disappeared and that Albanians are net contributors to the British economy, with minimal reliance on public benefits compared to other communities.
He warned that stereotyping small communities undermines the European project. “Europe weakens whenever facts are surrendered to fabricated narratives,” he said, urging future European leaders to defend truth even when politics seeks to distort it.
Rama framed Albania’s pro-European stance as rooted in historical experience. “We were the last dictatorship in Europe. We know the darkness that comes when a country is cut off from Europe’s flow. Today, the world is interconnected in ways it was not then,” he said.
He concluded that targeting small communities for political purposes is not merely symbolic, but indicative of broader risks. “An Europe that normalizes small injustices day by day will one day be unable to confront greater ones,” Rama said.