EU and Albania extend accession talks in Luxembourg

Luxembourg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The European Union and Albania extended the first chapter of EU accession talks in Luxembourg. 

The European Union panel was headed by Mr Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on behalf of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the presence of Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi. The Albanian delegation was held by Mr Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania.

How is Albania progressing in its eu accession talks?

In his remarks, Péter Szijjártó said: “Albania is performing well in the accession process, and with the opening of the first, fundamental chapters in the EU accession negotiations, the country has reached another important milestone in its enlargement efforts. One of the key priorities of the Hungarian Presidency is to advance EU enlargement, as the European Union requires renewed momentum, fresh energy, and new perspectives, which the Western Balkans can provide. I look forward to Albania’s continued progress on its path to EU membership.”

What reforms must Albania meet for eu membership?

Albania applied for EU membership in 2009 but was only granted a candidate status in 2014. 

On 9 November 2010, the European Commission gave its opinion on Albania’s EU membership application. The Commission considered that before accession negotiations could be formally opened, Albania still had to perform a necessary degree of adherence with the membership criteria, particularly to satisfy 12 key priorities identified in the statement. 

These preferences included completing essential actions in the public administration reform, adopting and enforcing a reform strategy for the judiciary, supporting the fight against organised crime, developing a reliable track record in the fight against corruption and supporting the protection of human rights.

In October 2012, the European Commission suggested that Albania be granted candidate status, subject to the completion of critical measures in the areas of judicial and public administration reform and revision of the parliamentary conventions of procedures.