The European Union on Thursday opened a new chapter in accession negotiations with Albania, launching discussions under the “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth” cluster, the European Commission said.
The fifth Accession Conference with Albania, held in Brussels, marked the formal opening of Cluster 3, which includes negotiating chapters on digital transformation and media, taxation, economic and monetary policy, social policy and employment, industrial policy, science and research, education and culture, and the customs union.
The EU also adopted benchmarks for the provisional closure of these chapters, subject to Albania’s alignment with EU legislation and standards.
“This step confirms the steady progress of Albania’s accession process,” said Agnieszka Bartol, Poland’s Permanent Representative to the EU, who led the EU delegation on behalf of the Polish Presidency of the Council. The Albanian delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Igli Hasani.
The EU has previously opened three other clusters with Albania: the Fundamentals cluster in October 2024, External Relations in December 2024, and the Internal Market in April 2025.
Negotiations are structured around six thematic clusters under the EU’s revised enlargement methodology introduced in 2020. The Fundamentals cluster is opened first and closed last, and progress in this area determines the pace of accession overall.
Monitoring of Albania’s alignment with the EU acquis and standards will continue throughout the negotiation process.