Albania Moves Toward Closing EU Accession Chapters After Member States’ Assessment

Albania is expected to advance to the closing phase of its European Union accession negotiations once it receives a favorable assessment from member states on its fulfillment of conditions, particularly in the areas of rule of law, security, and human rights.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Edi Rama and cabinet ministers, the Minister of State and Chief Negotiator, Majlinda Dhuka, presented the progress of the negotiations and the steps remaining to meet membership criteria over the next 19 months. Dhuka emphasized that Albania is on track to fulfill all accession conditions and criteria by the end of 2027.
In March, EU member states reviewed Albania’s progress in meeting the required conditions. A final assessment is expected in the coming weeks. This evaluation is crucial for advancing to the next phase of the process.
Albania has entered an advanced stage of the integration process, having opened negotiations across all chapter clusters in a systematic manner over the past year. The country has also received a positive evaluation from the European Commission.
In this context, Albania has fulfilled the interim benchmarks, which are mainly related to the rule of law, security, fighting organized crime, the justice system, and human rights. Albania concluded this phase in January of this year. After receiving a positive assessment from the member states, Albania is expected to close the chapters one by one, totaling 33.
Benchmarks have already been defined for 31 of the 33 chapters. Those related to the rule of law and justice will be determined after the interim benchmark report is approved, a process that is currently underway.
This process is supported by the involvement of 157 national-level institutions and ongoing interaction with EU structures. Thus far, 24 interim conditions have been met, 92 critical gaps have been addressed, and 101 closing benchmarks have been established.
The government aims to conclude negotiations by the end of 2027 as part of its goal of achieving Albania’s full membership in the European Union by the end of the decade. The pace and effective implementation of reforms remain decisive for the progress of the process.