Prime Minister Edi Rama and EU Ambassador Sofia Moreira de Sousa presented the European Commission’s 2026 progress report on Albania at a joint press conference on Thursday.

Rama said Albania had entered the final stretch of accession negotiations. He cited significant progress in at least 20 negotiating chapters and described the target of concluding negotiations by the end of 2027 as ambitious but achievable, according to the Commission. De Sousa also praised Albania’s progress but stressed that continued efforts remain essential.

Both highlighted the challenges ahead. Rama acknowledged shortcomings in the justice system, the fight against corruption, democratic institutions and media freedom. He said authorities must seriously investigate every allegation of excessive police force during protests and stressed the government’s responsibility to enable dialogue across political and social divisions.

De Sousa said corruption remained a real challenge despite progress in justice and the results achieved by the Special Anti-Corruption Structure. She called for future legal initiatives to uphold the 2016 justice reform and strengthen the prosecution of high-level corruption.

On democracy, the ambassador cited political polarisation, limited parliamentary oversight and inadequate public consultation. She described electoral reform as urgent and called for an inclusive process to implement recommendations by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s election observers.

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