During the meeting, Balla expressed gratitude to the Bundestag and the German Federal Government for their continued support of Albania’s European integration process, stressing that the country aims to conclude EU accession negotiations by 2027.

Balla also addressed claims suggesting that accession negotiations have stalled. ‘Who has said that negotiations are been put on hold?’ he wrote on his social media account, emphasizing Albania’s consistent progress on the path to the European Union membership.

The meeting in Berlin takes place at a pivotal moment for Albania’s European integration process, with Germany’s support regarded as crucial for further advancement of accession negotiations.

As of Monday, the two co‑chairs of the National Council for European Integration, Taulant Balla and Jorida Tabaku, together with the Chair of the Committee on Europe and Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani, were invited by Minister of State for Europe Gunther Krichbaum as guests of the Federal Republic of Germany for a series of meetings at the Chancellery, the Federal Government, the Bundestag and other institutions, to discuss ‘EU membership, status and perspectives of leading candidate countries.’

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“We briefed all the interlocutors on the processes taking place in the Western Balkans, including the “Open Balkan.” The message conveyed in all meetings was that: Germany supports the European Union integration of Albania and the entire region,” said Gjiknuri.
The conference for the Western Balkans will be held in Berlin in November under the auspices of the Chancellor Scholz.

Gjiknuri emphasized that the Berlin Conference will focus on the region and will give greater impetus to this process.
“Despite the times like no other, Europe should not lose track of the Western Balkans. The Albanian government has a special role to play to get this process going. We received support for the measures undertaken by the Albanian government and for the entire policy implemented by Rama-led government. Of course, we pledged that we will continue to move down this path and in the framework of the Congress of European Socialist Parties, which features a dedicated agenda for the Western Balkans, will echo the importance of fast-track integration,” Gjiknuri says.
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