EU officially opens accession talks with Albania
(VOVWORLD) - The European Union (EU) on Tuesday opened the first round of accession negotiations with Albania, marking a significant step in the country’s bid to join the bloc.
This milestone follows the second EU-Albania accession conference held in Luxembourg.
During a joint press conference, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama hailed the event as historic. Szijjarto, representing Hungary as the current EU presidency holder, emphasized Hungary’s strong backing for EU enlargement and the need to admit new members to revitalize the union. Rama echoed these sentiments, calling it a proud day for the Albanian people and the EU, and stressed the importance of fostering positive relations between the EU and the Western Balkans.
Albania applied for EU membership in 2009, and negotiations are set to progress further after starting formally in July 2022.