Albania has taken another step towards closer cooperation with the European Union by joining the European Centre for Democratic Resilience. Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha attended a meeting under the EU General Affairs Council, where participants agreed on Albania’s formal association with the center, alongside other Western Balkan partners and candidate countries.

The meeting, co-organized by Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission, opened a new phase of cooperation. It will involve partner countries in the center’s practical work to counter foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and threats to democratic processes. The meeting took place ahead of the 10th Albania-EU Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg, which will mark the closure of another negotiating chapter.

Hoxha described the decision as another important milestone on Albania’s path towards EU membership. He highlighted Albania’s experience in tackling cyberattacks and strengthening institutional resilience. “We are ready to further develop this expertise and put it at the service of our joint efforts with our European partners,” he said. Hoxha also warned that foreign information manipulation poses an increasingly complex challenge because it targets public trust and the foundations of democratic debate, not just systems and institutions.

Referring to an international conference on FIMI and EU enlargement that Albania’s Foreign Ministry organized in Tirana on July 27, Hoxha stressed the need for stronger, better-coordinated public communication. He said a whole-of-society response could succeed only if citizens remained informed, aware and engaged. When EU member states and candidate countries work together to protect democratic resilience, citizens can better understand enlargement as a shared investment in Europe’s future, he added. Hoxha concluded that democratic resilience and EU membership remain inseparable for Albania.