TIRANA, Nov. 3 /ATA/ – Albania is working intensively to wrap up its European Union accession negotiations by the end of 2027, in line with an agreed timetable drawn up in cooperation with the European Commission, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with Euronews journalist Maria Tadeo at the Euronews Enlargement Summit in Brussels, the government head said that progress in relations with the EU could not always be measured in terms of deadlines, stressing that Albania’s priority was to complete the institutional transformation required for European integration.
“I am no longer new to this job, and I have seen things you would not believe. I have seen deadlines fade along the way. I have seen the EU fail to deliver on its own promises within the agreed timeframe, but I have also seen it achieve more and faster than expected in pursuit of certain results. So I cannot say much about deadlines. What matters most is that we are working very hard under a joint plan, fully supported by the European Commission, to conclude the negotiations by the end of 2027,” Rama said.
He said that if the current pace of work was maintained, Albania would conclude the negotiations according to the agreed timetable, adding that this would demonstrate that the country had fulfilled its responsibilities.
However, he stressed that the final decision on EU membership would depend on political agreement among all 27 member states.
Asked about the European Commission’s findings in its latest progress report, Rama acknowledged that Albania still faced challenges, saying that otherwise it would not be undergoing an accession process involving the fulfilment of membership conditions.
Rama also described Albania as fortunate to have the European Union as a close partner, calling it a compass, a horizon and a source of experience and expertise in helping the country meet European standards. He said this was an opportunity not equally available to all countries with a similar historical background.
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