Jorida Tabaku, the Democratic Party Chairwoman of the European Affairs Committee, speaking on behalf of the opposition, expressed support for Albania’s EU membership process. Her statement came during discussions on the Negotiating Position Draft for the opening of the first “Fundamental Chapters” in the EU accession talks. She also accused the majority of corruption and undermining the rule of law.

Why is this relevant: Although the opposition claims to support the EU accession process, apart from Tabaku and one other Democratic deputy, no other opposition members were present at the committee meeting discussing a crucial issue—the opening of Albania’s first negotiation chapters with the EU. The boycott was in protest at a court ruling that sentenced a Democratic Party deputy to prison time for false reporting staged to blackmail the former interior minister, Fatmir Xhafaj.

Key statement: Jorida Tabaku highlighted the opposition’s role in initiating the integration process and expressed their determination to see it through, while also issuing several accusations against the ruling majority. She stated that the majority’s actions are the reason for the prolonged process: “We consider this process the only way to transform the country. We believe that a step closer to the EU should serve the construction of a Western democracy. However, with regret, we note that many criteria remain unmet. We’ve seen the lack of political will for electoral reform, and the use of state institutions to influence elections. We believe this issue should be resolved by 2024, not in 2025 as the majority suggests.”

Political friction: In response, Socialist MP Niko Peleshi criticized Tabaku for using her role as committee chair to make political statements. He urged her to refrain from political posturing, stating: “This political statement… let’s not hijack the microphone for political declarations and ignore what’s expected from us today. This is a crucial step toward Albania’s EU membership.”

Context: On October 15th, Albania and the EU’s negotiating teams will meet at the Second Intergovernmental Conference to begin discussions on the first set of negotiation chapters, known as the Fundamentals.