Albania to open EU negotiations for Cluster 6 on December 17
The European Council has published the agenda for the Third Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) between Albania and the European Union, scheduled for December 17, 2024, in Brussels. The conference will mark the opening of negotiations on Cluster 6: External Relations, which includes the following chapters:
Chapter 30: External Relations
Chapter 31: Foreign, Security, and Defense Policy
Why is this important: This milestone follows the adoption of the EU’s revised negotiation methodology in 2020, which divides the 35 negotiation chapters into six thematic clusters. Albania has already opened negotiations for Cluster 1: Fundamentals, and the upcoming conference signals further progress in Albania’s EU accession process.
Context: Hungary, currently holding the EU presidency, has played a key role in accelerating the integration process for the Western Balkans, including Albania. Hungarian officials highlighted that the upcoming conference demonstrates the EU’s commitment to expediting accession talks with candidate countries.
“The ambassadors have approved the EU’s common position for Cluster 6, enabling the third intergovernmental conference with Albania to take place on December 17,” stated the Hungarian presidency on the social media platform X.
The conference will be the second held during Hungary’s presidency, reflecting its strong support for Albania’s EU membership aspirations.
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