TIRANA, Dec 2 /ATSH-Maela Marini/ Minister of State and Chief Negotiator for European Union Integration, Majlinda Dhuka, stated on Monday that Albania has been recognized as an important strategic partner and is 100% aligned with the European Union’s security and defense policy.
During a hearing session in the European Affairs Committee, Dhuka focused on the possibility of opening negotiations on chapters related to the EU’s common foreign policy, security, and defense.
In this regard, she appreciated the timely response from the Parliament regarding the possibility presented by the EU through the letter from the Hungarian Presidency to open negotiations on two other chapters.
“Albania is making progress with the support of the European Commission and EU member states in its historic journey of opening negotiations on more chapters, starting from the moment it opened negotiations on the first cluster, ‘Fundamentals’, on December 15,” she said.
According to the Chief Negotiator, Albania has completed all the technical preparations to move forward with the opening of negotiations on additional chapters in 2025.
In this regard, she thanked the Albanian Parliament for its political and technical support.
Regarding the negotiating positions, Dhuka explained that they are confidential and are reviewed by the Parliamentary European Affairs Committee under conditions of confidentiality.
“The negotiating positions are part of the negotiation process for the EU Accession Treaty, which is expected to be signed and later ratified. Once this Treaty enters into force, Albania will become a member of the EU. Therefore, these documents and discussions regarding the review and approval procedures take place in the context of an international treaty, such as the EU Accession Treaty,” said Dhuka.
Despite this, Dhuka emphasized that the negotiating team holds periodic discussions on issues of importance for the economy, society, and civil society organizations involved in the integration process.
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