TIRANA, Jan 31 /ATA/-By Maela Marini/ Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Elisa Spiropali assessed that 2026 will be a decisive year for achieving the strategic objective of completing the technical negotiation process by 2027.
In her remarks at the “A Few More Steps Toward the EU” Dialogue Forum held on Saturday in Vlora, Minister Elisa Spiropali emphasized that it is no coincidence that discussions on Europe are taking place in the city where the Albanian state was founded.
“This is the place where our national history and European geography converge naturally. European integration is no longer merely a promise, a slogan, or a symbol; it is a process delivering tangible results and requiring shared responsibility,” Spiropali stated.
The Albanian Minister for Foreign Affairs underscored that, for a long period, Albania was perceived as a country persistently seeking accession to the European Union.
“Today, Albania is a country diligently preparing to become an EU member, which makes all the difference. Over a span of just 13 months, from October 2024 to November 2025, through a clear vision, sustained daily efforts, coordinated joint endeavors, and the alignment of political determination with institutional capacity, we have, in collaboration with the European Commission and EU member states, successfully opened 33 negotiation chapters,” Spiropali stated.
In recent months, Spiropali emphasized that concerted efforts have been undertaken to achieve the intermediary benchmarks for the fundamentals as swiftly as possible.
“A few days ago, the Albanian Parliament approved the latest legislative package, imparting the process with the weight and rigor it requires and deserves, to facilitate prompt advancement to the next, more demanding and challenging phase—the commencement of the chapter closing process,” Spiropali stated.
The Minister underscored that Albania has developed the capacity to advance in step with the European Union and has earned the credibility to merit integration into its natural European family.
She further noted that the reforms undertaken “are not easy, but they are substantive reforms impacting the judiciary, public administration, the fight against corruption, the economy, and standards.”
“However, these reforms have not been undertaken merely to pass a European test, but because Albania needs them and is, despite challenges, building a fairer state and a more open and competitive economy,” Spiropali stated, expressing her conviction that “today we can say that integration is no longer merely an aspiration.”
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