The Commissioner for Enlargement in the European Union, Marta Kos, from the Albania-EU intergovernmental conference, stated that this is a great shame for Albania.
He also dedicated the achievement to Prime Minister Edi Rama, stating that it would not have been possible to get this far without the work done in the last 10 years.
"We are here to mark a major step for Albania in the accession process after Montenegro in 2024. Albania is the second of our candidate countries to have fulfilled the interim milestones of the rule of law, set for 2024. This is an achievement to celebrate, it is an assessment of a great work of more than a decade, because it is not something that can be achieved in a day. So, when we confirm these interim milestones for the rule of law, we confirm that your work of 10 and even more years in this area has been successful," she said.
Kos emphasized that Albania's achievements and integration towards the EU must be felt by the Albanian people themselves.
“Laws have been adopted to protect fundamental rights and vulnerable groups, decisive steps have been taken to ensure that all Albanians have the right to an impartial judicial process. This reflects the support of the Albanian people for deep reforms in the justice system. The transformative power of the EU accession process must first be felt by Albanians themselves. This is a strong foundation to build on,” she said.
The Commissioner further stated that today's achievement opens a new phase of the enlargement talks.
"Today we are confidently setting the terms of the final EU membership journey. Today we have set the final objectives. Member States have set the closing milestones for the most important chapters, for the rule of law and fundamental rights. Today's achievement opens a new phase of the enlargement talks and makes it possible for Albania to move forward towards the closing of the chapters. Without today's step, the closing of the chapters would not have been possible at all in all policy areas.
We must continue to support Albania's work and vision to close negotiations in 2027. Albania must use this positive energy to move forward ," she said.