Albania holds the fourth intergovernmental conference with the EU, opens chapter negotiations for the internal market

Albania held its fourth intergovernmental conference with the European Union in Luxembourg on Monday, April 14, where it opened the second negotiation chapter “Internal Market”.

The European Union delegation was led by Radosław Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the participation of Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.

Prime Minister Edi Rama led the Albanian delegation in these discussions, composed of ministers, deputy ministers, and heads of work for the respective chapters.

Commissioner Kos described Albania as a success story regarding integration, emphasizing that it could become an example for other countries in the region while calling for the continuation of reforms aimed at opening all group chapters within the year. Kos deemed Albania’s goal of membership by 2030 as ambitious but achievable.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama expressed optimism about achieving the membership goal by 2030, stressing that the country has no time to lose.  

“Our dream is to be part of this union by 2030, so the plan is to complete all negotiations by 2027, which is a very short time, and we need to work tirelessly every day and we have more work to do,” said Rama.

The ambassador of the European Union delegation in Tirana, Silvio Gonzato, considered the opening of the group chapter for the Internal Market as another important step for Albania on its journey towards the European Union.

Gonzato added that “now reforms related to the EU need to be adopted and implemented.”

According to Ambassador Gonzato, the continuation of alignment with EU legislation brings Albania closer to a more united and secure Europe.

“The EU will continue to support Albania at every step of this journey,” said EU Ambassador Silvio Gonzato. (April 15)