Brussels, 15 October 2024 (MIA) - Albania will open Cluster 1: Fundamentals of the accession negotiations with the European Union on Tuesday.

An EU-Albania intergovernmental conference will be held in Luxembourg, where the first phase of negotiations will begin, following the decoupling of the country from the Republic of North Macedonia in this process at the end of September.

The intergovernmental conference will be chaired by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, whose country currently holds the presidency of the EU.

Albania will be the first among candidate countries to open accession negotiations under the revised enlargement methodology, which will be a key moment for the Western Balkan country.

Albania and North Macedonia jointly started accession negotiations on 19 July 2022, in Brussels.

“The European Commission expects the start of accession negotiations with Albania, as well as with North Macedonia, as soon as possible, once the requirements approved by the EU Council are met," stated the European Commission's spokesperson in September regarding the decision to decouple the two Balkan countries in the negotiating process.

The meeting will serve to open negotiations with Albania on Cluster 1: Fundamentals, including the following areas and negotiating chapters: Functioning of democratic institutions; Public administration reform; Chapter 23 – Judiciary and fundamental rights; Chapter 24 – Justice, freedom and security; Economic criteria; Chapter 5 – Public procurement; Chapter 18 – Statistics; Chapter 32 – Financial control.

Photo: Council of the EU