BRUSSELS – The process of adopting the European Union’s position regarding Albania’s Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR), a crucial next step in the country’s EU accession process, remains at an early stage, and it is not yet possible to specify when it could be finalised, it was confirmed by the Council for our portal.
The IBAR represents the European Commission’s assessment of whether interim benchmarks under Cluster 1 – Fundamentals have been met. This cluster covers areas including the rule of law, judiciary, fundamental rights, democratic institutions and public administration reform.
A positive IBAR would allow the process to move forward towards the eventual closing of all negotiating chapters. Albania, having opened all negotiating chapters, cannot proceed further without a positive IBAR.
The IBAR for Albania was discussed yesterday at the meeting of the Council Working Group on Enlargement (COELA). The discussion took the form of an exchange of views among member states, involving questions from delegations and replies from the European Commission.
It is expected that the Presidency of the Council will get back with a compromise text on the so-called draft interim EU Common Position (EUCP) for Cluster 1. However, this process has not yet been completed.
Once an agreement is reached on the common position at the level of the Working Group on Enlargement (COELA), the draft interim EU Common Position would need to be endorsed by the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) before a possible Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) with Albania could be convened to confirm the decision formally.
However, as it was confirmed for EWB, discussions remain at a preliminary stage, and it cannot be confirmed when the next steps in the process might take place.
Albania formally opened accession negotiations with the European Union in July 2022, alongside North Macedonia. Cluster 1 – Fundamentals was opened in 2024, while additional clusters were opened during 2025, bringing the country into a phase focused on meeting interim benchmarks and advancing negotiations.
