Prime Minister Edi Rama declared that Albania is closer than ever to securing full membership in the European Union, announcing that the nation is officially entering the final stage of accession negotiations.
Speaking from the coastal city of Durrës during a keynote speech marking the 35th anniversary of the Socialist Party (PS), Rama revealed that a pivotal Intergovernmental Conference between Albania and the EU will take place tomorrow in Brussels to seal the next phase of integration.
Opening the Final Cluster of Chapters in Record Time
The Prime Minister lauded Albania’s rapid legislative and structural alignment with European standards, noting that European institutions now view the country as fully prepared to begin closing the negotiation chapters.
According to the accession timeline, tomorrow’s diplomatic summit will legally formalize the transition into the closing phases of the grupkapitujt (clusters of chapters).
Prime Minister Rama on EU Integration: “Tomorrow’s Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels will seal the opening of the final phase of negotiations with the EU. After opening all chapters in record time, Albania is now officially deemed ready to begin the process of closing them.”
Target Deadline: Full Integration by 2027
Rama emphasized that tomorrow’s conference is progressing precisely according to the government’s strategic calendar. The shared, ambitious objective between Tirana and Brussels remains to fully wrap up all membership negotiations before the end of 2027.
[Albania's EU Accession Flight Path]
│
├─► Past Phase: Opening all negotiation chapters in record time.
├─► Current Phase: Brussels Intergovernmental Conference (May 26).
└─► Target Phase: Complete closure of all chapters & full integration by 2027.
“This is a summit that we can now see with our own eyes, and our path is clearly mapped out,” Rama told the gathering, underscoring that the timeline to navigate the remainder of the journey has been meticulously planned. “Today, we stand closer to the European Union than ever before.”
The transition into closing chapters represents a major political victory for Rama’s administration, signaling to both domestic voters and Western partners that Albania’s judicial, economic, and administrative reforms are meeting the stringent criteria set by the European Commission.
