Enlargement: Albania ready to close the first negotiation chapter, moving one step closer to the EU

Brussels – Albania is one step closer to the European Union. The candidate country’s accession process has made satisfactory progress, allowing for the start of the closure of negotiation chapters. This is a key milestone in the path towards the 12-star club, following the opening of the chapters. Specifically, the government in Tirana has met the benchmarks regarding the so-called “fundamentals,” namely the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform, the rule of law and economic criteria.

Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of Cyprus, a country with the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, welcomed the results. Fulfilling the interim benchmarks for the fundamentals cluster represents a “milestone for Albania” on its path to EU accession, she emphasised at the end of the eighth accession conference with Albania (yesterday evening, 26 May). At the same time, she added, “it demonstrates the country’s commitment” to integration, which is important for everyone since, as the Deputy Minister emphasised, EU enlargement remains “a geopolitical necessity for the EU and a top priority for the Cyprus Presidency.”

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos also expressed satisfaction,  and not only because it marks a “key step that allows Albania to begin closing negotiation chapters.” With the government in Tirana, she explains, “we have defined the final targets for key elements such as an independent judiciary and anti-corruption measures.” But there’s no room for complacency now, Kos warns, as “the toughest phase of the negotiations begins: preparing for EU accession and further strengthening trust with member states.”

“We are pleased,” is all Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama had to say. “We have managed to open all the negotiation chapters in 11 months – very quickly – and have now moved into the final phase with today’s conference, once again within a very short timeframe.”

The accession process and Albania’s path forward

Under the accession process, once a country has applied for and been granted “candidate” status, it begins political negotiations on 32 chapters, grouped into clusters. All chapters must first be opened and then closed. Once all the negotiation chapters have been closed, the country automatically becomes an EU Member State.

Albania applied for EU membership in 2009 and gained candidate status in June 2014. The first intergovernmental conference, marking the formal and official start of accession negotiations, was held in July 2022. All negotiation “clusters” with Albania were opened during the accession conferences held in 2024 and 2025.