July 14 has officially been dubbed “Big Tuesday” in Brussels, as the European Union prepares to host four intergovernmental conferences with candidate countries seeking membership in the bloc.
The meetings will involve two Western Balkan countries Albania and Montenegro as well as two Eastern European candidates, Ukraine and Moldova.
For Albania, Tuesday’s events mark another important step forward in its EU accession process. Following the opening of all negotiating clusters at the 8th Albania–EU Intergovernmental Conference held on May 26, Tirana is set to begin the process of temporarily closing the first chapters, bringing the country closer to full integration into the Union.
At the 9th Intergovernmental Conference, Albania is expected to close three chapters: Chapter 25 on Science and Research, Chapter 26 on Education and Culture, and Chapter 30 on External Relations.
Announcing the conference, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that Albania would continue moving forward on its European path.
The same day, the EU General Affairs Council will meet in Brussels, while the Foreign Affairs Council is scheduled for Monday, July 13.
Kosovo remains the only country among the six Western Balkan states that has not received candidate status, despite applying for it in December 2022. Current signals suggest there is little expectation of progress from the 27-member bloc in the near future.
Meanwhile, neighboring Montenegro is expected to temporarily close Chapters 8 and 29 during its intergovernmental conference.
Serbia, which had hoped to open Negotiating Cluster 3 following a recommendation from the European Commission, is facing resistance from several EU member states. More than eight countries opposed the move, with the strongest opposition coming from the Netherlands, Croatia, Sweden, and the Baltic states.
