BRUSSELS – Albania opened Cluster 6: External relations at today’s Intergovernmental Conference with the European Union, only two months after opening Cluster 1: Fundamentals. According to Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, the goal of the country is to open more clusters in the spring.
Cluster 6: External relations consists of two chapters – Chapter 30: External relations and Chapter 31: Foreign, security and defence policy. With the opening of Cluster 1 in October, Albania has now opened 7 out of 33 negotiating chapters.
According to the annual European Commission report on Albania released in October, the country has a good level of preparation in both Chapter 30 and Chapter 31, corresponding to a grade of 4 out of 5. It is fully aligned with the EU’s common foreign and security policy.
Albania officially started its accession negotiations in July 2022, with North Macedonia. The paths of the two countries were decoupled earlier this year, as the progress of North Macedonia remains blocked by Bulgaria.
Speaking to the media after the Intergovernmental Conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Péter Szijjártó stressed that Hungary has put “all of its efforts” into speeding up the enlargement process during its six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which started in July.
“In two months we have had two Intergovernmental Conferences, two groups of chapters have been opened and this is an unprecedented speed. More has happened in the last two months than in the last 15 years”, Szijjártó said.
The 3rd meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania has just finished under the Hungarian presidency #HU24EU
The whole country has put in enormous effort for this step. Let this commitment continue, especially on rule of law & freedom of expression.
I stand ready to… pic.twitter.com/8DeCwRGO7K
— Marta Kos (@MartaKosEU) December 17, 2024
Speaking at the press conference, Edi Rama thanked the Hungarian Presidency and the European Commission, and stressed that Albania’s ambition when it comes to enlargement is not a secret.
“We want to make sure that all our homework is done and our negotiations are concluded until 2027. And hopefully, our membership is concluded within this decade. It is very ambitious, but it is crucial for us to do it by never forgetting the principle of merit-based, first and foremost because it will help us do the homework as well as possible for our own sake”, Rama said.
He added that Europe is in the best moment to understand how the Western Balkans is important to its future, and that Albania will work to make the most out of it.
Earlier in the morning, during the doorstep meeting with the press, Rama said that Albania’s ambition is to open more clusters, hopefully in spring, and then to make sure that the next year closes with the clusters opened.
New European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said at the press conference with Szijjártó and Rama that enlargement remains the top priority for the EU, which is committed to achieving even further results in the next years.
“In the last 12 years, altogether we have closed eight chapters. Today is about the opening of the chapters, but we will also start closing them soon. My mandate is less than five years now, I really hope we will close all of them”, Marta Kos said.
She added that, by opening negotiations on this Cluster with Albania, the EU will intensify its joint work on the crucial areas linked to external relations.