Rama, accompanied by the official Albanian delegation, is taking part in the meeting as part of Albania’s EU membership negotiations, the Media and Information Agency said.

According to the agenda, the Intergovernmental Conference is scheduled to begin at 07:00 p.m., followed by a joint news conference at 08:00 p.m.

The conference is expected to formally conclude negotiations on three chapters: Chapter 25 (Science and Research), Chapter 26 (Education and Culture), and Chapter 31 (Foreign, Security and Defence Policy).

The conference marks another step forward in Albania’s EU accession process, reflecting the country’s continued progress in meeting the bloc’s membership criteria and standards.

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Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana, Costa said Albania and other Western Balkan countries were moving in the right direction on their path toward EU membership.

“Regarding the Western Balkan countries, and particularly Albania and Montenegro, I believe we can move forward with confidence because we are on the right track,” Costa said as he answered to a question about a recent proposal tabled by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

He said the accession process was entering a more concrete phase, with the focus shifting from opening negotiation chapters to gradually closing them.

“We have already established a working group to begin drafting Montenegro’s accession treaty, and all 35 chapters have now been opened for negotiations with Albania,” he said.

According to him, the conditions now exist to advance the process further.

“I believe we are now in a position to begin closing some chapters,” he said.

According to Costa, the European Commission has already submitted proposals to the Council aimed at moving the negotiations forward.

“Yesterday, the Commission presented proposals to the Council for the closure of three chapters. Progress is being made, and this is where our focus should remain,” he said.

Costa described Albania’s goal of concluding accession negotiations by the end of 2027 as ambitious but achievable.

“Albania has set itself a very ambitious objective, and we share your aspiration to complete the negotiations by the end of 2027,” he said.

He noted that meeting that target would require sustained effort and tangible results.

“We are already in June 2026 and have a year and a half ahead of us. That means we must continue working harder and delivering results step by step across a range of issues. Is it difficult? Yes. Is it possible? Yes. That is exactly what we need to focus on,” Costa said.

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