Albania to open remaining EU negotiation chapters soon, says Danish minister
Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre told the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee today that Albania will open the two remaining negotiation group chapters within a short time. “Albania is implementing the required reforms, although corruption remains a problem,” Bjerre said.
Why is this important: Since the first intergovernmental conference in October 2024, Albania has opened four of six negotiation groups under the EU’s new methodology. EU leaders praise its rapid progress, and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos calls it “a real objective to complete the technical process by 2027.”
Context: To date, Albania has launched talks on 27 policy areas in just eight months: Group 1 (Fundamentals) opened on 15 October 2024; Group 6 (External Relations) on 17 December 2024; and Group 2 (Internal Market) on 14 April 2025. Tirana aims to open the final chapters by year-end and finish all negotiations by 2027, targeting full EU membership in 2030. Denmark—long aligned with the Netherlands and France in blocking Albania—now holds the EU Council presidency and has signaled clear support thanks in part to SPAK’s anti-corruption results.
Next steps: Albania and the European Commission will set dates for the remaining chapter openings in the coming weeks. Tirana must sustain reform delivery, while Brussels will monitor progress ahead of the planned 2027 completion of the technical review.
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