- Europe, like you've never read before -
Thursday, 29 May 2025
No Result
View All Result
  • it ITA
  • en ENG
Eunews
  • Politics
  • World
  • Business
  • News
  • Defence
  • Net & Tech
  • Agrifood
  • Other sections
    • Culture
    • Diritti
    • Energy
    • Green Economy
    • Finance & Insurance
    • Industry & Markets
    • Media
    • Mobility & Logistics
    • Sports
  • Newsletter
  • European 2024
    Eunews
    • Politics
    • World
    • Business
    • News
    • Defence
    • Net & Tech
    • Agrifood
    • Other sections
      • Culture
      • Diritti
      • Energy
      • Green Economy
      • Finance & Insurance
      • Industry & Markets
      • Media
      • Mobility & Logistics
      • Sports
    No Result
    View All Result
    Eunews
    No Result
    View All Result

    Home » World politics » EU formally kicks off accession negotiations with Albania

    EU formally kicks off accession negotiations with Albania

    Tirana aims to join the club of the Twenty-seven by the end of the decade. An ambitious goal, which will depend on discussions with Brussels on the Balkan country's progress

    Francesco Bortoletto</a> <a class="social twitter" href="https://twitter.com/bortoletto_f" target="_blank">bortoletto_f</a> by Francesco Bortoletto bortoletto_f
    15 October 2024
    in World politics
    Albania

    Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama speaks during a joint press conference with Turkey's President at the Prime Minister's office in Tirana, on October 10, 2024. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Albania today on the first stop of a Balkan tour that will also take him to Serbia as he tries to boost ties with a region once ruled by the Ottoman empire. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)

    Brussels – As the first boat carrying 16 migrants from Italy arrived in Albania on Tuesday morning (Oct. 15), representatives of the Balkan state were participating in Luxembourg in the second intergovernmental conference with EU partners. It was the official green light for the start of negotiations on Tirana’s accession to the European club, with the opening of the cluster containing the so-called “fundamental” chapters.

    Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama, attended the meeting in person in the Grand Duchy. “It is a mountain to climb,” he told the press, adding that his country is “already walking with very clear ideas, a very strong will and without any doubt” to achieve the goal of bringing ”Albania into the European Union by 2030.” Rama said he was ready to “finally start with the most difficult part of the work,” referring to the opening of the “fundamental” clusters that include “the five most coherent chapters, plus the three criteria that will make us go further and conclude by our very ambitious deadline” the accession process.

    There is also satisfaction on the European side. The outgoing Commissioner for Enlargement, Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi, congratulated Albanian authorities for the “major milestone” that was possible to achieve “because Albania has completed the required reforms” with “determination” and “commitment.” He was echoed by his compatriot foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, also from Luxembourg, who said that “one of the most important priorities of the Hungarian presidency (of the Council, ed.) put at the top of the agenda was the acceleration of enlargement” of the EU in the Western Balkans.

    The formally opened chapters today are 5 (public procurement), 18 (statistics), 23 and 24 (the so-called rule of law chapters: judiciary and fundamental rights on the one hand and justice, freedom, and security on the other), and 32 (financial control), plus negotiations on the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform, and economic criteria for accession to the Union. Only upon achievement of the intermediate parameters set by Chapters 23 and 24 and those on other horizontal elements of the cluster can negotiations on the rest of the chapters continue.

    Following the reform of the accession process dating back to 2020, there are six negotiation clusters in total, and the first one, on fundamentals, is to be opened first and closed last, determining the overall “pace” of the negotiations. The other five cover the internal market, competitiveness and inclusive growth, the green agenda and sustainable connectivity, resources, agriculture and cohesion, and finally, external relations.

    The first Albania-EU intergovernmental conference dates back to July 2022. However, no negotiating chapters were opened on that occasion, as it was only the start of the accession process. Tirana’s path, paired with that of Skopje, was complicated due to the rekindling of old nationalist scars between Northern Macedonia and Greece but, more importantly, due to new friction with Bulgaria. The EU Council broke the deadlock last month with the “unbundling” of the two countries’ membership.

    The goal announced by Prime Minister Rama is ambitious: joining the Union is a complex path that has no predetermined duration. Much will depend on how quickly Tirana can implement the reforms, enabling it to “catch up” with the rest of its European partners. Even once the Commission has positively assessed Albanian efforts, the final decision on entry rests with the Member States.

    Last June, the EU opened its accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Georgia‘s path to rapprochement was, de facto, suspended in recent months following controversial steps taken by the Caucasian country’s pro-Russian government.

    English version by the Translation Service of Withub
    Tags: accession to the’euaccession to the’eualbaniaedi ramaeu enlargementwestern balkans

    Related Posts

    Ursula von der Leyen
    Politics

    External hotspots for migrants, Ursula von der Leyen speaks out: ‘Let’s learn from the Italy-Albania protocol’

    15 October 2024
    albania ue macedonia
    World politics

    EU Council unbundles Albania and North Macedonia’s accession paths. Negotiating chapter opens for Tirana

    26 September 2024
    map visualization
    Artiglieria ucraina

    Growth in global (and European) military spending threatens climate goals

    by Marco La Rocca
    29 May 2025

    Rising emissions, diversion of resources from environmental policies and increased geopolitical tension are the dangers of rearmament, the Conflict and...

    Connact

    Connact, 10 trillion in bank accounts of EU citizens: ‘To invest in risk, accept the idea of loss’

    by Simone De La Feld @SimoneDeLaFeld1
    29 May 2025

    Representatives of European institutions and financial sector professionals at the Finance & Insurance event entitled "The EU Plan to Invest...

    Fabrizio Spada, Ufficio di Collegamento del Parlamento UE in Italia, Responsabile Relazioni istituzionali

    Spada (European Parliament): ‘No forced levy on EU savers’

    by Emanuele Bonini emanuelebonini
    29 May 2025

    The representative of the European Parliament in Connact dismisses claims about automatic access to bank accounts as 'fake news'.

    Connact

    Connact: Call for a European investments regulation and for ESMA to become the European SEC

    by Emanuele Bonini emanuelebonini
    29 May 2025

    Intesa Sanpaolo, Assonime, Generali and Federcasse call on the EU to change pace and encourage investment. We need a capital...

    • Director’s Point of View
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Opinions
    • About us
    • Contacts
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie policy

    Eunews is a registered newspaper
    Press Register of the Court of Turin n° 27


     

    Copyright © 2025 - WITHUB S.p.a., Via Rubens 19 - 20148 Milan
    VAT number: 10067080969 - ROC registration number n.30628
    Fully paid-up share capital 50.000,00€

     

    No Result
    View All Result
    • it ITA
    • en ENG
    • Newsletter
    • Politics
    • World politics
    • Business
    • General News
    • Defence & Security
    • Net & Tech
    • Agrifood
    • Altre sezioni
      • European Agenda
      • Culture
      • Diritti
      • Energy
      • Green Economy
      • Gallery
      • Finance & Insurance
      • Industry & Markets
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Media
      • Mobility & Logistics
      • News
      • Opinions
      • Sports
    • Director's Point of View
    • L’Europa come non l’avete mai ascoltata
    • Draghi Report
    • Eventi
    • Eunews Newsletter

    No Result
    View All Result
    • it ITA
    • en ENG
    • Newsletter
    • Politics
    • World politics
    • Business
    • General News
    • Defence & Security
    • Net & Tech
    • Agrifood
    • Altre sezioni
      • European Agenda
      • Culture
      • Diritti
      • Energy
      • Green Economy
      • Gallery
      • Finance & Insurance
      • Industry & Markets
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Media
      • Mobility & Logistics
      • News
      • Opinions
      • Sports
    • Director's Point of View
    • L’Europa come non l’avete mai ascoltata
    • Draghi Report
    • Eventi
    • Eunews Newsletter

    Attention