On December 13, at the European Union Summit, news was delivered by Edi Rama regarding Albania’s latest bid to speed up the country´s process of ascension into the European Union. The initial application was submitted in 2009 but was not accepted as a candidate country until 2014.
It would not be until 8 years later, in 2022 for the ascension negotiations to begin. Rama has been serving as the country’s prime minister representing the Albanian Socialist Party since 2013 and working on achieving admission into the union. This may now be possible with a proposition brought forward from the PM to the Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, Mira Murati.
Murati is an Albanian native who has been working for OpenAI since 2018 and has recently been the one to help forge the deal between OpenAI and the Albanian government. The main objective is to translate EU documents into Albanian to better adapt the local laws. Edi Rama wants to use the “Large Language Model” to provide a detailed overview of what and where changes need to be made to local legislation to align with EU rules.
What will that entail for Albania?
By using ChatGPT, thousands of pages of EU legal measures will be interpreted and evaluated to pinpoint which adjustments need to be made to the Albanian legislation. This will allow for compliance and a quick expedition of Albania’s adaptation.
The project would not only prove to be beneficial to help Albania adjust to the measures imposed by the EU but also for the public administration to be able to combat corruption. This would therefore lead to improved services and an objective process. In addition, by using ChatGPT, millions will be saved by the government on lawyers, translators, and interpreters.
The project was presented at the EU summit in Brussels on the 13th of December, where Edi Rama stated that a successful test would include “the Albanian model of artificial intelligence for the interposition of the legislation totaling 280,000 pages of legal measures of the EU.”
It should be noted that the push for EU enlargement has been set for 2030. However, recent incentives for the enlargement have been amplified after the Russian-Ukrainian war and amid the EU elections happening in the summer of 2024.
In addition, the United States presidential election is also set to finalize in September 2024 creating tension. As explained by Rama, “During Albania’s 50 years of communist rule, it was completely shut off from the rest of the world, the country has become the most pro-European and pro-American in the world, but this is not enough for enlargement.”
The prime minister fears that even though the EU seems to be willing to actively work on the enlargement in the coming years, it is not so easy and requires a lot of support. He calls for the EU to fulfill its promises and commit to their statements regarding the expansion.
The EU needs the Balkans to grow their influence and the Balkans would benefit from the financial assistance provided by the EU. However, as thoroughly explained by Rama is not a short process and requires many steps to be taken. His ambitious project of translation using ChatGPT shows he is willing to put in the effort and so demands to see the same from the union’s institutions.
Photo: [EPA-EFE/OLIVIER HOSLET]
