TIRANA, May 21 /ATA/ – The European Union’s Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the EU (COELA) has given the green light to Albania’s Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR) on the country’s progress in the EU integration process.
According to media reports, the EU’s 27 member states have agreed on a joint draft of the report, which is expected to receive final approval on Friday during a meeting of EU ambassadors under the bloc’s COREPER mechanism.
The agreement follows nearly three months of discussions and negotiations between the European Council and the European Commission, which had earlier issued a positive assessment of Albania’s progress in meeting EU membership benchmarks.
Following COREPER approval, the next major step will be the Albania-EU Intergovernmental Conference on May 26, where Albania will be represented by Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The approval of the IBAR report is seen as a significant milestone in Albania’s accession negotiations, paving the way for further advancement in the process of opening and closing negotiating chapters with the European Union.
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