An international animal welfare group was locked in a dispute with the Albanian government Thursday over three lions that were removed from a private zoo but not been taken to their new home in the Netherlands.
The lions require proper medical care but remain caged in Albania due to Tirana's "bureaucratic arbitrariness," a statement by animal welfare group Four Paws said. However, the government insists its hands are tied by a lawsuit.
Click to Gallery
An international animal welfare group was locked in a dispute with the Albanian government Thursday over three lions that were removed from a private zoo but not been taken to their new home in the Netherlands.
"They stay in these closed cages, built in the 1970s, walk on cement floors and get nervous from having people this close," said Blandi Mustafai, one of the two Four Paws employees taking care of them.
Four Paws says the government now argues that the lions cannot be sent to their assigned sanctuary in the Netherlands because of the lawsuit.
Follow Llazar Semini on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lsemini
A lion sits in its cage at a zoo in Tirana, Thursday, April 18, 2019. An international animal welfare charity was locked in a spat Thursday with the Albanian government over three lions destined for a sanctuary in the Netherlands. (AP PhotoHektor Pustina)
A lion stands in its cage at a zoo in Tirana, Thursday, April 18, 2019. An international animal welfare charity was locked in a spat Thursday with the Albanian government over three lions destined for a sanctuary in the Netherlands. (AP PhotoHektor Pustina)
The three lions, named Lenci, Bobby and Zhaku, were among 11 animals seized by authorities from a private zoo in October due to fears they were malnourished. They were moved to a public zoo that Four Paws also considers unfit.
A lion sits in its cage at a zoo in Tirana, Thursday, April 18, 2019. An international animal welfare charity was locked in a spat Thursday with the Albanian government over three lions destined for a sanctuary in the Netherlands. (AP PhotoHektor Pustina)
"They stay in these closed cages, built in the 1970s, walk on cement floors and get nervous from having people this close," said Blandi Mustafai, one of the two Four Paws employees taking care of them.
He said the lions are in good physical health but suffering psychologically.
The owner of the private Safari Park Zoo sued after the 11 animals were confiscated. Despite the lawsuit, the Albanian government this month sent a three-legged bear named Dushi to Germany.
People watch a lion in its cage at a zoo in Tirana, Thursday, April 18, 2019. An international animal welfare charity was locked in a spat Thursday with the Albanian government over three lions destined for a sanctuary in the Netherlands. (AP PhotoHektor Pustina)
Four Paws says the government now argues that the lions cannot be sent to their assigned sanctuary in the Netherlands because of the lawsuit.
Ioana Dungler, a Four Paws director who was responsible for rescuing the animals from Safari Park Zoo, complained the government has repeatedly postponed the lions' departure.
The Environment Ministry, which is overseeing the matter, has not commented.
Children watch a lion in its cage at a zoo in Tirana, Thursday, April 18, 2019. An international animal welfare charity was locked in a spat Thursday with the Albanian government over three lions destined for a sanctuary in the Netherlands. (AP PhotoHektor Pustina)
Follow Llazar Semini on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lsemini
A lion walks in its cage at a zoo in Tirana, Thursday, April 18, 2019. An international animal welfare charity was locked in a spat Thursday with the Albanian government over three lions destined for a sanctuary in the Netherlands. (AP PhotoHektor Pustina)
A lion sits in its cage at a zoo in Tirana, Thursday, April 18, 2019. An international animal welfare charity was locked in a spat Thursday with the Albanian government over three lions destined for a sanctuary in the Netherlands. (AP PhotoHektor Pustina)
A lion stands in its cage at a zoo in Tirana, Thursday, April 18, 2019. An international animal welfare charity was locked in a spat Thursday with the Albanian government over three lions destined for a sanctuary in the Netherlands. (AP PhotoHektor Pustina)
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that Europe could “die” if it fails to build its own robust defense as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, or if it fails to undertake major trade and economic reforms to compete with China and the U.S.
Macron urged Europeans to become more ambitious in a fast-changing world to face the challenges of war, fierce trade competition, energy scarcity, climate change and increasing authoritarianism.
In a nearly two-hour speech at Sorbonne University in Paris, Macron said that the continent is divided and “too slow and lacks ambition” at a time when the 27-member European Union needs to become a superpower, defend its own borders and speak with one voice if it wants to survive and thrive.
“Our Europe today is mortal,” Macron said. “It can die and that depends solely on our choices,” he added. He called on people to make those choices now because, “it’s today that Europe is between war and peace.”
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, is an existential threat and Europe isn't armed enough to defend itself when “confronted by a power like Russia that has no inhibitions, no limits,” Macron said.
‘Our ability to ensure our security is at stake," Macron said. “Russia mustn’t be allowed to win.”
Europe now has the “good fortune” of having the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, Macron said. But, in a year of key elections around Europe, in the U.S. and elsewhere, support may fragment or disappear entirely, he added.
“Europe must become capable of defending its interests, with its allies by our side whenever they are willing, and alone if necessary,” Macron said.
Strong armies, a European rapid intervention program and force, tanks, a missile shield and other weapons, produced in Europe, will need the support of “a joint diplomatic force that will speak with one voice and build bridges with Africa and Latin America,” the French leader said.
“Only then will Europe show that it's not a United States’ lap dog, and that it also knows how to talk to other regions of the world,” he said.
France has been a firm supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and Macron has often clashed with other Western leaders as he has insisted that Europe must stand by the country at any cost. The French president alarmed European leaders by saying recently that sending Western troops into Ukraine to shore up its defenses shouldn’t be ruled out.
Referring to trade practices of China and the U.S., Macron said “the two world powers have decided not to respect the rules of global trade” by shoring up protections and subsides while Europe’s industry remains open and is stuck in overregulation.
“Let’s do the same, we are in competition,” Macron said.
“We must buy faster, we must produce more and we must buy more that is made in Europe. That is key,” Macron said.
Thursday's speech came less than two months before a pivotal European Parliament election.
Macron, an avid advocate of a united and assertive Europe, also rallied support for his centrist Renaissance party before the June 6-9 vote as far-right parties lead the moderate coalitions in the polls. He called for safeguarding democratic values as the “authoritarian model” was becoming “more popular” across the continent.
The war in Ukraine and immigration are top priorities for European Union voters, according to polls. Far-right parties have gained support by criticizing Macron’s government policies on both issues. Macron acknowledged divisions on immigration policies, including on asylum and deportation rules for those who have arrived to Europe illegally.
He emphasized the need for an effective response and Europe-wide coordination for curbing illegal immigration, closer cooperation with immigrants' countries of origin and a unified, relentless fight against human traffickers.
Macron criticized the idea of striking an agreement, as Britain as done, with countries in Africa and elsewhere to transfer immigrants there.
“This is a betrayal of our values that ultimately leads us to dependency on other counties,” Macron said.
The British government earlier this week approved a law allowing the deportation of some migrants who enter the country illegally to Rwanda.
Macron lost his majority in France’s most influential house of parliament, the National Assembly, after the 2022 election to the far-left coalition and the far-right National Rally party.
The social situation in France remains tense as Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games this summer, amid protests from teachers and police officers, and farmer demonstrations in recent weeks. The protests follow huge rallies last year against Macron’s ultimately successful proposal to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Barbara Surk reported from Nice, France. Lorne Cook contributed to this report from Brussels.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives to deliver a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 18, 2024. European Union leaders on Wednesday debated a new "European Competitiveness Deal" aimed at helping the 27-nation bloc close the gap with Chinese and American rivals amid fears the region's industries will otherwise be left behind for good. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
