European Commission President: Albania's accession to the EU is within reach

Brussels, Sept 30 (KUNA) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed on Wednesday that Albania has made significant progress in its path toward European Union membership, noting that the country has become one of the most advanced candidate countries in the accession process and that membership is now within reach.

Speaking during her meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in the capital, Tirana, von der Leyen said that since her last visit, Albania has achieved notable progress, including the opening of the final group of negotiation chapters and the closing of three chapters last July, among them the chapter on external relations. She added that this progress signifies Albania’s full alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, emphasizing that both sides “look at the world through the same eyes,” a crucial factor in the accession process.

She stressed that Albania’s accession would not only strengthen the country but also make the European Union more robust, while calling for continued focus on the reforms required across all open negotiation chapters, particularly those related to the judiciary, the electoral framework, and environmental protection.

Regarding the European Growth Plan, von der Leyen clarified that the EU is working to increase its investments in Albania and to grant the country access to parts of the European Single Market before formal accession, in exchange for implementing necessary reforms that enable Albanian companies to compete and operate on an equal footing with their European counterparts.

She noted that Albania has completed more than 80 percent of the reform steps linked to the plan and has already received 213 million euros (approximately 241 million dollars) in EU funds, with additional disbursements expected in the coming weeks.

She pointed out that Albania’s accession to the European Single Payment Area would help save approximately 500 million euros annually (around 566 million dollars) for companies in the Western Balkans, noting that transaction fees in Albania have already fallen by more than 90 percent.

Von der Leyen added that the EU is also working to reduce roaming charges, expressing hope for accelerating negotiations on this issue, and praised the investment cooperation between European and Albanian companies. (End) A.R.N. / M.A.H.A.