The European Commission has published a report that contains recommendations for the improvement of several areas in Albania, as well as assessments of achievements in important reforms.

The report emphasizes the country’s commitment to membership in the European Union and progress in reforms such as justice and the vetting process.

In the report, the Commission welcomes the opening of negotiations on the core group during the second intergovernmental conference held on October 15, considering this event a key moment on the road to membership.

However, the report calls for the intensification of reforms in the fight against corruption and organized crime, emphasizing the importance of these efforts to advance in the European integration process.

Full report:

“In Albania, the authorities have consistently stated their strong political commitment to EU integration as the country’s top strategic priority and have maintained a high level of ambition to move forward in membership negotiations. Albania has continued to make progress in reforms under the core group, especially in comprehensive justice reform and the vetting process, the conclusion of which in the first instance is inevitable, through good results in anti-corruption cases and increasing its capacities in financial investigations against organized crime. Albania’s active engagement during its mandate as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council until the end of 2023, as well as its record of full alignment with the EU’s common and external security policy, testify to its strategic choice for EU membership and the role of a reliable international partner.

After the first intergovernmental conference on accession negotiations in July 2022, the review sessions for all six groups of the EU acquis ended in November 2023. At the end of 2023, the Commission presented to the Council the evaluation report of the opening standards, where it concluded that Albania had met the requirements for opening negotiations for the core group. The Commission welcomes the opening of negotiations on the core group at the second intergovernmental conference held on 15 October, which marked a key moment on the road to membership. The Commission also supports the opening of negotiations on Group 6 – External Relations by the end of the year if the positive trend continues. The Albanian government signaled its objective of closing membership negotiations by the end of 2027 and the Commission is ready to support this ambitious objective.
To this end, it is essential that the authorities further intensify the pace of EU-oriented reforms, especially in the rule of law, consolidating the past in law enforcement, in the effective fight against corruption and organized crime, and the promotion of fundamental rights, including freedom of the media, property rights and minorities.”