EU Council recommends launching negotiations with Albania 'as soon as possible'

EU Council  meeting

 The EU Council has praised the continuation of reforms undertaken by Albania in order to advance integration into the European Union.

In the conclusions adopted at the end of the meeting on December 14 in Brussels, it is stated that the EU Council expects the first intergovernmental meeting to be held "as soon as possible".

The EU assesses the April 2021 election process and calls for addressing OSCE / ODIHR recommendations.

On the other hand, it is said that constructive political dialogue remains crucial and in this context, the EU Council welcomes the return of the opposition to Parliament.

The EU Council appreciates progress in the rule of law and especially justice reform. The document states that the new structures against corruption and organized crime have yielded the first positive results.

The EU seeks to maintain this pace and to include the fight against high-level corruption leading to the final sentence.

The way to hold the first Albania-EU intergovernmental conference has been open since March, but this has been hampered by Bulgaria's veto on North Macedonia.

Due to the change in the enlargement methodology, Albania and the North Macedonia are being treated together on the path to EU integration, while without lifting the veto from Bulgaria, holding the conference will be impossible as a unanimous decision is required from EU member states.