Albania’s journey towards European Union membership

Albania’s accession talks with the European Union began on July 19, 2022. Today, the 10th Albania–EU Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg is expected to provisionally close Chapter 20 on Enterprise and Industrial Policy. This would bring the number of provisionally closed chapters to four.
In October 2024, Albania opened its first negotiating cluster, covering fundamental issues such as democratic institutions, public administration, justice and security. During 2024 and 2025, the country opened five more clusters on foreign relations, the internal market, competitiveness, the green agenda, and agriculture and cohesion.
The eighth conference, on May 26, 2026, marked the start of the phase focused on closing negotiations. At the ninth conference on July 14, Albania provisionally closed three chapters: Science and Research, Education and Culture, and External Relations.
Today’s expected closure of Chapter 20 would mark the next step in Albania’s accession process. The government aims to conclude negotiations by the end of 2027.
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