Albania opened the first chapter of its membership negotiations with the European Union on October 15.
The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, during a joint conference with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto, in Luxembourg, described this moment as historic.
“The opening of the chapters represents a great achievement and marks a historic milestone in our common journey. Every success that Albania achieves in the EU process should be seen as a step for the entire region. For Albania, there is no other future,” Rama stated.
According to the new methodology, the first group opened pertains to chapters related to the rule of law. Progress in this area will also dictate the advancement in the entire negotiation process.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto said that the EU enlargement process needs to be accelerated.
“We need new energy, and this will come from the Western Balkans. It is in the interest of the EU to speed up enlargement. We need to take urgent steps to maintain the credibility of the enlargement policy. We must expedite the enlargement procedure now,” he said.
Szijjarto emphasized that Albania is ready to join the EU, adding that he hopes Brussels will complete the “bureau
