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The third meeting of the membership conference with Albania at the ministerial level was held today in Brussels where the chapter group 6 of negotiations “External Relations” was opened.
The European Union delegation was led by Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on behalf of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the participation of Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. The Albanian delegation was headed by Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania.
In the joint press conference after the conference, Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that Albania’s ambition is to close the negotiations with the European Union in 2027 and become a member of the EU within this decade. Rama assured that Albania will make sure it has done its homework.
“The merit-based principle is very important to us as it will help us to do our homework as well as possible,” Rama said. He stated that the speed of the negotiation process seems unstoppable.
“Commissioner Kos has started in the best possible way, as she has not yet completed a month in her mandate and has already demonstrated two major steps forward for the Western Balkan countries,” said the Albanian Prime Minister.
Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, stated that Albania’s membership would strengthen the EU given the economic progress it has made. According to him, the Hungarian Presidency has made all efforts to accelerate the enlargement process.
“Albania has shown excellent progress for the 6 chapters that will be in this chapter group both in foreign relations and security, which is why we are opening this chapter group today so that Albania can move forward, since Albania is a NATO country,” he said.
Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations Marta Kos congratulated the citizens of Albania in Albanian for the commitment and involvement of all political parties in the country regarding the negotiations for integration into the European Union.
The journey of Albania so far was considered a milestone by the commissioner, while appreciating Hungary’s commitment and expressing confidence that the Polish presidency will continue these efforts in the future.
“Today in the international context, the opening of negotiations for chapter group 6 holds a special significance, has geostrategic importance and sends a geostrategic signal. It is a clear recognition of Albania’s alignment with EU policies, as a stable and valuable partner,” Kos stated. (December 17)