BRUSSELS – The eighth Intergovernmental Conference between the EU and Albania was held last night in Brussels. The meeting served to confirm the fulfilment of the interim benchmarks by Albania and to set closing benchmarks for Cluster 1 ‘Fundamentals’, including Chapters 23 – judiciary and fundamental rights, and 24 – justice, freedom and security, the functioning of democratic institutions and public administration reform and economic criteria. The Cluster also includes Chapters 5 – public procurement, 18 – statistics, and 32 – financial control, the EU stated.
The European Union delegation was led by Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, with the participation of European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos. The Albanian delegation was led by Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The development follows last week’s approval by the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) of the EU Common Position on Albania’s Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR).
Under the revised enlargement methodology, no negotiating chapter can be closed before a candidate country fulfils the interim benchmarks under Cluster 1, which covers rule of law reforms, democratic institutions and public administration reform. Albania thus became only the second candidate country, after Montenegro, to reach this phase of the accession process.
Raouna:”Enlargement remains a top priority”
At the joint press conference with Marta Kos and Edi Rama, Marilena Raouna, speaking on behalf of Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, stated that EU enlargement remains a top priority.
“The European Union will continue using the current enlargement methodology, the process remains merit-based and follows the EU’s legal framework. All candidate countries must receive equal treatment. Enlargement has made clear progress in recent years”, Raouna noted.
She added that the EU “continues to build consensus and find solutions despite the complexity of negotiations, the Union will keep moving the enlargement agenda forward with all candidate countries”.
For her part, Marta Kos stated that Albania has officially transitioned into the concluding phase of its EU accession negotiations.
“Albania has taken a major step in the European integration process. Today, we celebrate a landmark achievement for Albania. By fulfilling the October 2024 interim rule-of-law requirements, Albania becomes the second candidate country, after Montenegro, to reach this crucial stage in the accession process”, Kos remarked.
According to Kos, “this is an achievement to be appreciated and the result of a long work that is not achieved overnight”.
“Albania reached the interim benchmarks, and we set the closing benchmarks for fundamentals such as an independent judiciary and anti-corruption measures”, she stressed.
In addition, Kos underlined that “now begins the most demanding phase of the negotiations, preparing to join the Union, and further build the trust with member states”.
She also praised the adoption of laws to protect fundamental rights and vulnerable groups, as well as the steps taken to guarantee the right to a fair trial for all citizens, as well as the establishment of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SPAK), describing it as the flagship institution of the fight against corruption in Albania and one of the most trusted structures in the country, it was reported by ATA.
“This progress reflects the strong support of the Albanian people for deep reforms in the justice system. The transformation power of the EU accession process should be felt above all by Albanian citizens”, Kos said.
Rama: “We are the most pro-EU country in Europe”
Edi Rama stated that Albania is the most pro-EU country, “we are EU fanatics”.
“It is a very important moment on our path towards membership and a moment for which we have been working hard for a long time and where half of the work for opening negotiations will be closed and the other half for closing will be opened. It is not about an easy membership, but about a journey to membership with full rights. Albania has been 100% in line with EU foreign policy”, Rama noted.
According to him, the EU enlargement is “about firstly a real political union and secondly a path to full membership with full rights together with the necessary reforms of the European Union”.
“Listen, Albania is a country that has always been 100% aligned with the EU’s foreign policy, so we have never felt any desire to imagine having a veto, being the most pro-European Union and pro-Atlantic country in Europe. And when I say the most pro-EU country, I am referring to the EU barometer, not simply our own opinion. We are EU fanatics, and EU fanatics cannot place a veto on EU decisions,” he stated.
