Today, the European Union opened its first chapter of accession talks with Albania in Luxembourg.
This is the second meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania, which was held at the ministerial level in the Western Balkan country’s journey towards becoming part of the bloc, Schengen.News reports.
The EU delegation was headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, on behalf of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, while the Albanian delegation was led by the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama.
Hungary: Albania Is Performing Well in the Accession Process
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on behalf of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Péter Szijjártó, said Albania is performing well in the accession process.
He added that with the opening of the first fundamental chapters in the EU accession talks, the country has reached another important milestone in its enlargement efforts.
The minister said he is looking forward to Tirana’s continued progress on its path to EU membership.
Albania Should Join EU by 2030, Its PM Says
The Prime Minister of Albania said that the European Union needs the Western Balkans as much as the Western Balkans need the EU, quoted by Balkan Insight.
Rama said his country should become part of the bloc by the end of 2030.
Albania Opens 5 Negotiating Chapters as Part of Cluster 1
Albania has begun the first cluster of negotiations with the European Union, marking the first chapter of its membership accession talks.
Among the main steps of the EU accession process for countries attempting to become part of the bloc are also the clusters of negotiating chapters.
There are 22 negotiating chapters, divided into six clusters, among them:
1. Fundamentals
2. Internal market
3. Competitiveness and inclusive growth
4. Green agenda and sustainable connectivity
5. Resources, agriculture and cohesion
6. External relations
Negotiations on fundamentals that have already begun with Albania are the first ones to open and the last to close.
Fundamentals consists of the following chapters:
• Chapter 5– Public Procurement
• Chapter 18– Statistics
• Chapter 23– Judiciary and Fundamental Rights
• Chapter 24– Justice, Freedom and Security
• Chapter 32– Financial Control
Albania’s Journey on EU Membership Continues
Albania is not a member of the European Union nor part of the Schengen Zone. The country officially submitted the application for EU membership in 2009.
The Western Balkan country achieved a candidate status in 2014. In its latest progress report, the Commission said that the country still has improvements to make, including the rule of law and respect for human and minority rights.
Albania, along with North Macedonia, started the accession talks with North Macedonia in 2022. The first Intergovernmental Conference was held in July 2022 in Brussels.
However, recently, the EU decided that Albania should continue its path towards EU membership alone.
Source: https://schengen.news/eu-opens-first-chapter-of-membership-talks-with-albania/
