Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs organized a meeting with the European integration structures here at the MEFA and the line ministries on “The next phase of the accession process for Albania, steps and challenges ahead”. The Chairman of Parliament Gramoz Ruci, the Prime Minister Edi Rama, the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation, Romana Vlahutin, and representatives of the diplomatic corps in our country attended this event.

On the decision of the EU Council for our country, Prime Minister Edi Rama underlined that “We have not lost 12 months. We have 12 months of hard work, which is the same work that would have to be done even if the EU Council had decided to open negotiations today.” Prime Minister Rama said that we have a text that enables us to do our work because even if hypothetically the opening of the negotiations was immediate, we would still need a period for preparatory work, or the so-called “screening” process, which would take a specific time normally ranging from 6 to 12 months.

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati informed that the Council has not set any new conditions or criteria for Albania but it has instead further outlined and detailed the 5 priorities.

The head of Albanian diplomacy, recalled the Council’s assessment of the course of reforms in the field of rule of law, mainly justice reform, which is considered as a model to be followed by other countries that are in the accession negotiation process or not, as well as the confirmation by member countries, at a very difficult time for Europe, of the 100% alignment of our foreign policy to the foreign policy of the European Union or the dynamic and constructive role of Albania in the region.

Minister Bushati informed that the Council has not set any new conditions or criteria for Albania but it has instead further outlined the 5 priorities that we believe are going to be present throughout the entire EU integration process. “There are two processes ahead of us, and that is quite clear. The first being the deepening of reforms based in detailing the five key priorities that have actually been provided by the Council of EU and on the other hand, we have to enforce our human and administrative infrastructure in view of the opening of accession negotiations talks,” said Minister Bushati.

Based on a similar practice by all other countries, Albania has also set up a platform to strengthen not only our mission to the European Union but also our missions in key European Union countries, from the point of view of human resources, infrastructure and financial resources.