During the session on EU enlargement, administrative capacity building, and reform support, Minister Hoxha shared Albania’s experience with the negotiation process, emphasizing that our success is built on strong responsibility, clear and ambitious objectives, as well as continuous support from the EU and its member states.

“For anything to succeed in a process as demanding as EU accession, strong political will is indispensable. We are advancing on every issue, in every sector and through every reform. Joining the European Union has never been easy. Today, however, the process is more demanding and complex than ever. It is therefore essential to maintain the pace of reforms, sustain momentum in the negotiations and ensure continuous engagement at every level. Time is of the essence, for both the candidates and the credibility of the process and the EU”, underlined Hoxha.

The minister added that we are fully aware of the areas where further efforts are required, in particular with regard to further strengthening the rule of law, but also in sectors such as waste and water management, air quality, environmental infrastructure and food safety.

“These challenges require strong coordination, long-term commitment and substantial investment. The accession process needs all the energy it can get, both at home and from our European partners. Our cooperation should become more operational, more targeted and more sustained”, stated Hoxha.

“As we have emphasized before, finding practical ways to associate Albanian experts, as closely and as frequently as possible, with the Commission and the EU structures and working processes would allow us to benefit from invaluable expertise while further strengthening our administrative capacity and, importantly, deepen familiarity with the way EU institutions operate. This would help make the accession process a genuine accelerator of administrative transformation”, he said.

For the foreign minister, Albania has entered a decisive phase of the accession process on its path towards the EU.

“Our ambition is clear, our working plans are realistic and our resolve ironclad. We will continue to deliver and we expect the same commitment from the European Union. The political momentum for enlargement needs no advocacy. The key words remain the same: delivery on reforms by the candidates and due recognition of progress by the member states,” he concluded. /m.q/a.f/p.s./

The consular days are part of the “Islands” project, implemented in Greece and Ireland in the period April – June 2024, during which about 2 thousand consular services were offered to Albanian nationals residing in these two countries.

“Islands” is applied for the third year in a row, significantly facilitating the service, through shortening the time and documentation, for all those citizens who apply for identification documents or other consular services./p.s./