On Monday, Albania opened the last fifth cluster in the accession negotiations to the European Union (EU). It will be within its framework to negotiate the fields of agriculture, fisheries, food safety and cohesion policy. TASR informs about it according to the press release of the Council of the European Union and the report of the Hina agency.
So far she has been negotiating within the framework of the first cluster focused on the areas of justice, fundamental freedoms and democratic institutions, the sixth cluster on external relations, the second cluster on internal trade, the third cluster on competitiveness and inclusiveness a of the fourth cluster on the green agenda and sustainable connectivity.
“Enlargement is a geopolitical necessity for the EU and a key priority of the Danish Presidency (of the Council of the EU). The entry of our partners from the Western Balkans after the completion of the necessary reforms is very important. Today’s step, which opens the last cluster of negotiations with Albania, testifies to the determination of this country to further advance on the path to EU membership.” said Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerreová.
The Council of the European Union states in a press release that will continue to monitor the progress in the harmonization of the European and Albanian legal order. The EU has also established criteria for the preliminary closure of chapters within the fifth cluster.
Albania is making the fastest progress towards membership among the candidate countrieswhen within 13 months it opened all six clusters into which 35 access chapters are divided.
The Albanian government plans to close all accession chapters before the end of 2027. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kosovo called Albania the best example of the transformative power of EU enlargement and an inspiration for other Western Balkan countries.
