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Voice of America: Albania ready to open negotiations for two more groups of chapters with the EU

2025-03-11 21:15:52 / AKTUALITET ALFA PRESS

Voice of America: Albania ready to open negotiations for two more groups of

In Tirana, Albania's chief negotiator with the EU, Majlinda Dhuka, said that the country is ready to open negotiations with the EU for two more group chapters, while she very much hopes that all group chapters will be opened this year.

The two new group chapters deal with economy and competitiveness, while the EU is preparing its position, in order to organize another intergovernmental conference soon. But the opposition, during a meeting with the chief negotiator at the European Integration Council, expressed distrust of the integration results so far and the lack of transparency in this process, as one of its representatives described it.

After opening negotiations last year and starting work on Chapter Group 1 (Fundamentals/Rule of Law) and Chapter Group 6 (External Relations), Tirana has presented to the EU its position on Chapters Group 2 and 3 (Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth) that it is ready to open negotiations on them.

Albania's chief negotiator with the EU, Majlinda Dhuka, said today before the National Council for European Integration that the expected negotiations for two new groups of chapters include 17 other areas, pertaining to the economy, market and competitiveness, proving its accelerated pace on the path towards the EU, as a reliable partner in foreign policy, which is already working to strengthen the rule of law.

"Albania will consolidate the foundations of the European state on the path to membership, will strengthen the independence of the judiciary, will strongly support the implementation and consolidation of justice reform, the fight for prevention and the fight against corruption," said Ms. Dhuka.

Ms. Dhuka said that Albania has made progress in economic reforms to get closer to the European market, while the EU presented and implemented the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, alongside which Tirana prepared the European Reform Agenda, and its implementation provides support for over 900 million euros in investment programs.

She highlighted the EU's assessments from the progress report that Albania has made progress in 32 out of 35 areas, and that today it is on average prepared in 24 out of 33 areas, regarding the membership criteria.

But the chairwoman of the National Integration Council, Jorida Tabaku, an opposition MP, expressed skepticism about the progress so far, despite the results listed by chief negotiator Dhuka.

Ms. Tabaku said that the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans is now a high-priority security issue and that the authorities should have opened a national discussion on Albania's commitments and obligations for the integration process with citizens, unions, interest groups, civil society, and business circles, rather than keeping it closed without transparency in a government drawer.

She emphasized that on the path to European integration, Albania has many tasks ahead regarding Chapter Group 1 (Fundamentals), it needs more work and more stability.

"We cannot measure ourselves by how many chapters have been opened, but by how many chapters have been successfully closed. Albania is today at a delicate moment to see if it is possible for democratic institutions to function, if it is possible to hold free and fair elections, if it is possible to show that those European standards, which we aspire to every day, we can first implement ourselves," said Ms. Tabaku.

The opposition assesses that some recent legal initiatives of the government have gone against the spirit of the EU, such as the law on audit, the law on protected areas, and contracts without competition, but adds that Albania must take the appropriate steps within the established deadlines, without wasting any more time.

While the Head of the EU Delegation to Albania, Ambassador Silvio Gonzato, recalled that the results in the Basic Chapter 1 Group are decisive in the pace of negotiations, but the essential challenge, according to him, remains the implementation of reforms so that Albania's laws are in full compliance with EU legislation.

The European Parliament announced that it will open an office for the Western Balkans in Tirana, a better opportunity to strengthen the dialogue between the region's parliaments and civil society with European institutions.

The new EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, is expected to visit Albania for the first time at the end of this week, while the EU Vice-President, Kaja Kalas, Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is also expected to visit Albania in March.

 

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