Accession of Albania to the European Union
is on the current agenda for future enlargement of the European Union. It applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009, and has since June 2014 been an official candidate for accession. Accession talks started in March 2020.
Albania is currently receiving €1.2bn of developmental aid until 2020 from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, a funding mechanism for EU candidate countries.
Brief overview
Officially recognised by the EU as a "potential candidate country" in 2000, Albania started negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement in 2003. This was successfully agreed and signed on 12 June 2006, thus completing the first major step toward Albania's full membership in the EU. Albania applied for European Union membership on 28 April 2009.Following in the steps of countries joining the EU in 2004, Albania has been extensively engaged with EU institutions, and joined NATO as a full member in 2009.
After Albania's application for EU membership, the Council of the European Union asked the European Commission on 16 November 2009 to prepare an assessment on the readiness of Albania to start accession negotiations. On 16 December 2009, the European Commission submitted the Questionnaire on accession preparation to the Albanian government. Albania returned answers to them on 14 April 2010. On 5 December 2013, an MEP meeting recommended to the Council to grant Albania candidate status.
On 23 June 2014, under the Greek EU Presidency, the Council of the European Union agreed to grant Albania candidate status, which was endorsed by the European Council a few days later.
The European Commission recommended that the EU open membership talks with Albania in its November 2016 assessment. In June 2018 the European Council agreed on a pathway to starting accession talks with Albania by the end of 2019.
Albania's EU accession is bundled with North Macedonia's EU accession. Albania is given certain pre-conditions for starting the accession negotiations, such as passing reforms in the justice system, a new electoral law, opening trials for corrupt judges and the respect of human rights for its Greek minority.
In May 2019, European Commissioner Johannes Hahn reiterated this recommendation. However, in June the EU General Affairs Council decided to postpone their decision on opening negotiations to October, due to objections from a number of countries including the Netherlands and France. The decision was vetoed again in October. On March 25 2020 Council of the European Union decided to open accession negotiations, which was endorsed by the European Council the following day.
Chronology of relations with the European Union
State of Stabilisation and Association Agreement ratification
Border controls
On 1 January 2008 the visa facilitation and readmission agreements between Albania and the EU entered into force.Albania received a road map from the EU for further visa liberalisation with Schengen countries in June 2008.
Albania started issuing biometric passports on 24 May 2009, which were designed to comply with EU guidelines. On 8 November 2010 the Council of the European Union approved visa-free travel to the EU for citizens of Albania. The decision entered into force on 15 December 2010.
In 2011, the EU paid €6 million to construct or refurbish border crossing points and border police stations to help Albania fight organised crime and illegal trafficking.
Negotiation progress
The screening process is underway and no chapters have been opened thus far.| Progression | 28 / 35 | 0 / 35 | 0 / 35 | 0 / 35 |
| Acquis chapter | Screening Started | Screening Completed | Chapter Opened | Chapter Closed |
| 1. Free Movement of Goods | 2019-01-17 | – | – | – |
| 2. Freedom of Movement For Workers | 2019-03-13 | – | – | – |
| 3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services | 2018-12-11 | – | – | – |
| 4. Free Movement of Capital | 2019-01-10 | – | – | – |
| 5. Public Procurement | 2018-12-06 | – | – | – |
| 6. Company Law | 2019-10-21 | – | – | – |
| 7. Intellectual Property Law | 2019-02-07 | – | – | – |
| 8. Competition Policy | – | – | – | – |
| 9. Financial Services | 2019-04-09 | – | – | – |
| 10. Information Society & Media | – | – | – | – |
| 11. Agriculture & Rural Development | 2019-12-06 | – | – | – |
| 12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy | 2019-02-18 | – | – | – |
| 13. Fisheries | 2019-06-12 | – | – | – |
| 14. Transport Policy | 2019-06-24 | – | – | – |
| 15. Energy | 2019-03-26 | – | – | – |
| 16. Taxation | 2019-06-03 | – | – | – |
| 17. Economic & Monetary Policy | 2019-01-10 | – | – | – |
| 18. Statistics | 2019-02-12 | – | – | – |
| 19. Social Policy & Employment | 2019-04-03 | – | – | – |
| 20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy | 2019-01-29 | – | – | – |
| 21. Trans-European Networks | 2019-03-27 | – | – | – |
| 22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments | 2019-02-05 | – | – | – |
| 23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights | 2018-09-27 | – | – | − |
| 24. Justice, Freedom & Security | 2018-11-12 | – | – | – |
| 25. Science & Research | 2019-03-11 | – | – | – |
| 26. Education & Culture | 2019-03-12 | – | – | – |
| 27. Environment & Climate Change | 2019-05-13 | – | – | – |
| 28. Consumer & Health Protection | 2019-03-28 | – | – | – |
| 29. Customs Union | – | – | – | – |
| 30. External Relations | – | – | – | – |
| 31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy | – | – | – | – |
| 32. Financial Control | 2018-12-05 | – | – | – |
| 33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions | 2019-09-27 | – | – | – |
| 34. Institutions | – | – | – | – |
| 35. Other Issues | – | – | – | – |
| Acquis chapter | EC Assessment in 2015 | EC Assessment in 2016 | EC Assessment in 2018 | EC Assessment in 2019 |
| 1. Free Movement of Goods | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Some level of preparation | Moderately prepared |
| 2. Freedom of Movement For Workers | Early stage | Early stage | Early stage | Some level of preparation |
| 3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 4. Free Movement of Capital | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 5. Public Procurement | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation |
| 6. Company Law | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 7. Intellectual Property Law | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Moderately prepared |
| 8. Competition Policy | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Some level of preparation | Moderately prepared |
| 9. Financial Services | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 10. Information Society & Media | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 11. Agriculture & Rural Development | Early stage | Early stage | Early stage | Some level of preparation |
| 12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation |
| 13. Fisheries | Early stage | Early stage | Early stage | Early stage |
| 14. Transport Policy | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation |
| 15. Energy | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 16. Taxation | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 17. Economic & Monetary Policy | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 18. Statistics | Some level of preparation | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 19. Social Policy & Employment | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation |
| 20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 21. Trans-European Networks | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation |
| 22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation |
| 24. Justice, Freedom & Security | Early stage | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Moderately prepared |
| 25. Science & Research | Early stage | Early stage | Early stage | Early stage |
| 26. Education & Culture | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 27. Environment & Climate Change | Early stage | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation |
| 28. Consumer & Health Protection | Early stage | Early stage | Early stage | Early stage |
| 29. Customs Union | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 30. External Relations | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy | Good level of preparation | Good level of preparation | Good level of preparation | Good level of preparation |
| 32. Financial Control | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared | Moderately prepared |
| 33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation | Some level of preparation |
| 34. Institutions | Nothing to adopt | Nothing to adopt | Nothing to adopt | Nothing to adopt |
| 35. Other Issues | Nothing to adopt | Nothing to adopt | Nothing to adopt | Nothing to adopt |