TIRANA, June 19 – The European Parliament has included the 15 EU conditions which Albania must meet before the First Intergovernmental Conference, in the resolution on the opening of negotiations with Albania, drafted by Croatian MEP Tonino Picula.
During the ongoing plenary session, the EP voted with 388 votes in favor, 280 against and 19 abstentions, the amendments that the Group of European People’s Parties (EPP) had previously requested.
The European People’s Party (EPP) on Monday urged the European Parliament to include the 15 conditions set by the EU for Albania in March 2020, in the resolution drafted by Croatian MEP Tonino Picula.
According to the EPP, Picula’s resolution is too general and does not mention the conditions that Albania will have to fulfill until the first quarter of 2021, when the First Intergovernmental Conference is expected to take place.
This prompted MEP Kinga Gàl to present a special amendment for Albania, stressing that the resolution needs to mention the fact that the first intergovernmental conference between Albania and the EU member states be convened only after the 15 conditions are met.
“[The European Parliament] Stresses the 15 conditions, decided by the Council of the European Union, that Albania needs to have fulfilled prior to its first intergovernmental conference with the EU Member States,” the statement reads.
