EU, Albania can close accession negotiations by 2027

(Adnkronos) – Albania “is on the right track” to achieve its “ambitious goal” of closing accession negotiations by 2027. This was announced by the European Commission after adopting the annual enlargement package, which presents an assessment of the progress of accession negotiations of aspiring EU member states. Tirana “has made significant progress, with four clusters opened in the last year”, and preparations for opening the last one by the end of 2025 “are well advanced”, notes the EU executive, highlighting progress in the chapter on so-called fundamentals, “particularly on justice reform and in the fight against organized crime and corruption. Continuous efforts are now needed to meet the intermediate benchmarks on fundamentals, which will pave the way for the start of closing negotiating chapters once the necessary sectoral reforms have been carried out,” the text continues, emphasizing that the closure of negotiations by 2027 “depends on maintaining the reform dynamic and promoting inclusive political dialogue.”