Albania opened the final cluster of its European Union accession negotiations on Monday, with Prime Minister Edi Rama saying the step marked steady progress toward membership and underscored the need for sustained commitment to reforms.
At a joint press conference in Brussels with EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos and Danish Foreign Minister Marie Bjerre — whose country holds the EU Council presidency — Rama said public scepticism about the process stemmed not from distrust in the EU, but from legitimate questions over timing and completion of the talks.
He said the negotiations had strengthened Albania’s institutions, reinforced the rule of law and aligned the country with EU standards, “making Albania a stronger and more functional state”.
Rama added that sceptics were “people who deeply believe in Europe but wonder whether this time we will truly reach the end”.
Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said opening the final cluster reflected Albania’s “hard work”, noting that citizens were the ones delivering results.
“Our role is to support you, but the difference is made by your results,” she said.
Denmark’s Bjerre described the opening of the last cluster as a “significant milestone” for Albania and a signal to other candidate countries.
President Bajram Begaj said the move confirmed the country’s continued progress and opened “a new phase of deeper reforms” in agriculture, food safety, regional development and resource management.
At the intergovernmental conference in Brussels, the EU opened the cluster “Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion”, covering:
– Chapter 11 (agriculture and rural development)
– Chapter 12 (food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy)
– Chapter 13 (fisheries and aquaculture)
– Chapter 22 (regional policy and structural instruments)
– Chapter 33 (financial and budgetary provisions)
This is the final cluster Albania will open in its accession process.
Europe and Foreign Affairs Minister Elisa Spiropali said the opening closes “a long cycle of hard work” and opens “a new horizon of challenges”. Albania was “ready to close negotiations by 2027,” she added, saying “Albania does not stop”.
Kos: Albania is ‘best example’ of enlargement’s transformative power
Kos said Monday that she was committed to bringing Albania closer to EU membership, calling the opening of the final cluster “a special day not only for Albania but also for the European Union”.
“This shows that the EU delivers results and that in the future we can rely on Albania,” she said, adding that progress would not have been possible without “Albania’s strong political will and the support of member states”.
She praised Denmark’s presidency for helping secure “this important milestone”.
Kos said the achievement reflected the work of Albanian institutions, civil society and other stakeholders implementing reforms, as well as the backing of citizens “who demand and support change”.
She said EU-related reforms were transforming Albania’s political, economic and social systems, making the country “truly European”.
“When you deliver results, you advance,” she said, calling Albania an inspiration for other Western Balkan states.
Kos warned that while opening all clusters was a “remarkable achievement”, closing them would be the “real challenge”.
“Your success will be measured by how well you adopt and implement EU legislation,” she said, highlighting the need to accelerate reforms in the judiciary, fight corruption, resolve property issues, safeguard minority rights and protect media freedom.
She said meeting interim benchmarks would be demanding, “as for any candidate country”, but Albania had a major advantage in “broad public support”, with more than 90% of citizens backing EU accession.
Kos urged Albania to work closely with the opposition, civil society and the private sector, calling this “a critical guarantee of success”.
She said the European Commission would continue advising and supporting the country through the reform process.
“Our role is to ensure that Albania will be ready when it becomes a member,” she said, adding that she was “personally committed to building a prosperous future for all Albanians in their European home”.