TIRANA, Nov. 15 – Foreign ministers of EU member states who are members of the Friends of Albania group convened in Brussels this week to discuss Albania’s further steps in the light of the European Commission decision to recommend the opening of accession talks with the small Balkan country.
The meeting was attended by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn. Albania’s prime minister and foreign minister were also part of the discussion.
Participants confirmed their support for Albania’s EU integration and urged the country to implement reforms in the judiciary.
Interlocutors also underlined the necessity of implementing the bill on transitional qualification assessment of the judges and prosecutors in Albania, known as the vetting law. According to EU ministers, the vetting law is a condition for the process of membership talks between Albania and the EU.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the country will launch accession talks but it must go through a “preparation period” for European officials to evaluate Albania’s progress.
“We need to start with the vetting law, which is the only condition that Albania has been imposed,” Rama said.
A press release issued by Albania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that EU officials have “praised Albania’s constructive role in the region, its positive efforts in fulfilling the key priorities for opening accession talks and the adoption of the justice reform, underscoring the importance of their implementation.”
The foreign ministry statement also said EU officials “commended the progress reflected in the Commission’s report with regard to state consolidating reforms and praised the Albanian government’s determination to carry on with the completion of the judicial reform.”
The Friends of Albania meeting, usually held during the EU Foreign Ministers’ Council, is an initiative supported by Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Italy and Austria, Paolo Gentiloni and Sebastian Kurz.
