The 2025 European Commission Progress Report for Albania was officially handed over today to Prime Minister Edi Rama by the Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union, Silvio Gonzato, during a joint press conference.
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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Good afternoon. Today is such a special day that, even though we are the hosts here, the first to speak should be the host of the great European house, and then I will say a few words about the publication of the European Commission’s Progress Report for Albania. Ambassador, the floor is yours, because today the full sovereignty of this house is in your hands.
Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union, Silvio Gonzato: Alright, then allow me first to do what I came here for, to hand over to you the Enlargement Report.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: And now he will explain to us that we might find in this report.
Ambassador of the European Union Delegation, Silvio Gonzato: So, let me start with a platitude by saying that yesterday, the European Commission adopted its 2025 enlargement package, including the annual report on Albania, and this was the first package of the new Commission.
I’ve just handed over the report to the Prime Minister. Later today I will meet the Minister for European and Foreign Affairs to discuss the report, and later this week I will do the same with business representatives and civil society organizations. At the earliest opportunity, I will also hand it over to the Speaker of the Parliament and will present it to the chairpersons of all parliamentary committees and leaders of parliamentary groups. And then, when the President is back in the country, I shall also hand it over to him.
This year’s report comes out at a very crucial time for Albania’s EU integration process. Five out of six clusters of negotiation chapters have now been opened, and work is underway to open the last one. All this was achieved at remarkable speed, and I wish to congratulate the Albanian authorities for this outstanding result. But we now need to seize this unique opportunity in the accession negotiation process as we enter a decisive phase, one where Albania’s willingness and ability to align itself with EU standards and Aquis will be tested.
In parallel, Albania has made significant progress in implementing its reform and growth agenda under the EU’s growth plan for the Western Balkans, fulfilling 21 reform measures between December 2024 and June 2025. An excellent result.
This has led the European Commission to disburse €99.3 million to Albania, which is a very tangible sign of the EU’s commitment to incentivize a faster pace of reforms. Because as President von der Leyen confirmed during a recent visit to Tirana, this is what we are here for.
The European Commission is ready to support Albania in every step of the way towards the fulfilment of its ambitious goal of closing accession negotiations by the end of 2027. To meet this ambitious objective, however, Albania needs to maintain the pace of reforms. The immediate priority for further progress in the accession negotiations is to meet the interim benchmarks. These are concrete and tangible steps which Member States have identified as part of the fundamental requirements that an aspiring EU country must meet.
These benchmarks are considered so important that without fulfilling them, no other chapter can be even provisionally closed. So, the 2025 Albania report published yesterday is factual and comprehensive. It is our hope that all political forces, civil society and business actors and the media, as well as citizens in general, will consult the report, which provides a fair assessment on where the country stands, gives credit where credit is due, but also points out those areas where there are blockages and the country is not moving forward.
The report follows the same familiar structure and format introduced last year, which I think makes it much more readable. The reporting period is between September 2024 and September 2025, with very important development after this date reported as well. And its findings should come as no surprise, since they reflect the priorities and challenges that we’ve been discussing regularly and in depth throughout the year.
So where do we stand?
Let me say that overall, the Albania’s 2025 enlargement report is positive. The report confirms Albania’s firm political commitment to the strategic goal of EU integration as the country’s key priority. It also recognized that the high level of ambition to move forward in the accession negotiations has generally been maintained. However, it also reminds that the ongoing momentum in the accession negotiation process needs to result in faster EU-related reforms. It also acknowledges that Albania has continued to align itself fully with the EU’s common foreign security policy, and this sends a strong signal about Albania’s strategic role as a reliable partner in the challenging geopolitical context.
As regards political criteria, the report assesses the functioning of democratic institutions as partly challenged, mainly due to a deeply polarized political situation, the need for a comprehensive electoral reform. The failure of the parliament to implement certain constitutional court rulings, the limited parliamentary oversight of the executive, and the lack of meaningful public consultations.
Regarding the elections, the report quotes the findings of the OSBE ODIHR, election observation mission, notably that the elections were competitive and professionally conducted, but were marked by substantial shortcomings, including the abuse of public resources, which resulted in the lack of a level playing field. But let me say, as an aside, that in this respect, I’d like to welcome the recent establishment of a joint parliamentary committee on electoral reform. We trust that its work will be inclusive, transparent, and effective in achieving a comprehensive electoral reform. The report also states that, regarding the functioning of the judiciary, Albania is between having a moderate and a good level of preparation, and that it has made some progress in this area.
Positive results were achieved by Albania in the continued implementation of justice reform and the completion of the comprehensive vetting process for all judges and prosecutors in first instance, which further strengthened judicial independence and accountability.
The new appointments of magistrates by the High Judicial Council, as well as the adoption of bylaws enhancing its procedures and standards, were also seen as positive development. However, serious concern remains about undue interference and pressure on the judicial system. And there are also challenges in aligning the provisions applicable to non-magistrates’ members of the councils with those applicable to magistrates, and in conducting timely and qualitative evaluations, appointments, promotions, and transfers of magistrates.
The efficiency of the justice system is further hampered by the increased length of proceedings and a high backlog of cases, while poor court infrastructure, judicial vacancies, and shortcomings in the judicial training system need to be addressed to improve the quality of justice. The report notes that Albania is moderately prepared and has made some progress in the fight against corruption, in particularly with SPAK further consolidating its positive results and making tangible progress towards a solid track record in the fight against high-level corruption.
Furthermore, the report notes the important adoption of the anti-corruption strategy for 2024-2030. However, corruption remains widespread across vulnerable sectors, which affects the public and private spheres. And so far, preventive efforts have had only a limited impact.
So, progress is still needed regarding transparency and effectiveness of asset declaration checks. On the fight against organized crime, the report notes that Albania is moderately prepared and that good progress was made in meeting last year’s recommendation by increasing SPAK’s capacity and effectiveness in disrupting organized crime groups, improving financial investigation, and seizing assets linked to organized crime. And Albania also continued to strengthen the fight against money laundering. An asset recovery office was indeed set up within the Albanian State Police, and now we need to see the office achieve concrete results in this area.
Turning to fundamental rights, the report notes progress in certain areas, notably the adoption of a new law on personal data protection, which is fully in line with the Acquis and GDPR regulations. And the adoption of seven of its 10 accompanying pieces of implementing legislation.
The adoption of the implementation of legislation on the rights of people belonging to minorities, specifically on self-identification and the use of minority languages is also a very significant achievement. However, alignment and implementation efforts need to intensify on the EU Aquis on equality and non-discrimination, covering all forms of discrimination.
In this context, the report states that Albania needs to ensure that the upcoming law on gender equality maintains a high level of ambition in line with EU standards.
Furthermore, efforts need to continue to fight gender-based violence and to move forward with the institutionalization of children in need. And on property rights, progress is still needed on first registration, digitalization, and compensation.
Finally, one important area where this year’s report continues to raise concern is freedom of expression, where Albania is between having some and moderate level of preparation and has only made limited progress.
While the launch of a structured dialogue in which we have worked jointly with the University here of Tirana and the Council of Europe and with the presence also of the government, while this dialogue between Albanian institutions and media actors was a positive development, the formation is yet to be decriminalized and further efforts are needed to enhance media independence and concentration, to ensure the safety of journalists and to improve overall journalists’ working conditions.
We have discussed all these recommendations at length with the relevant authorities in the context of the EU accession talks, and now we encourage Albania to deliver crucial progress towards meeting the interim benchmarks in the coming weeks, so that this ambitious timeline can remain on track. I’d like to conclude, and apologize for being so long, with one recommendation.
I believe that it is extremely important to underline that the urgency of these reforms must not come at the expense of their quality. By this we mean meaningful consultation processes across the board before adoption, accompanied by healthy and inclusive debates in the Assembly. I’m saying this because, as the report points out, joining the EU is a whole-of-society project, since it is a choice for a societal model based on fundamental rights and democratic values that each country must actively embrace, as it will determine its future.
The project must be owned not just by the government, but also by opposition, citizens, civil society and local communities. Everyone must have an active role in this process. For this choice to become reality, it must be backed by democratic legitimacy and broad political and societal consensus.
Over 90% of the Albanian population would like to see this country as a new member state, and the Albanian government and institutions must live up to these expectations. The European Union and its delegation here in Albania, that I have the honor to serve, will continue to be there to accompany and support Albania on this journey, and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the government and other key institutions.
Thank you!
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you!
This report says many things, but above all it says one thing, that Albania is on the right track to technically conclude the negotiations within 2027, and by saying that, the report has said it all. Of course, on this right path there are challenges at every step, challenges and issues to be addressed not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively at every stage. Naturally, the Progress Report is half-full glass. What we have always done, and what we will do again, is to draw all the necessary energy from the full half and focus all that energy on the empty half so that by 2027 we conclude this process, and so that the 2027 report writes: We recommend Albania’s accession to the European Union.
This is the historic objective, this is our ambition, and I am very proud that now no one forgets to say that Albania is at the forefront of this process, together with Montenegro, and that finally Albania is the positive example given to others who wish to become part of the European family. That’s what the report means to me; the rest are all detailed parts of a process where we have, in record time, opened five groups of chapters. I believe that we will also complete the opening of the sixth group of chapters and close the year with all chapters open.
This has come because of a fact that I want to bring back to everyone’s attention. In the years of humiliation, when the Commission recommended the opening of negotiations but, because of one, two, or three countries, the Council could not open them with Albania, during those years we did exactly what I repeatedly said we would do: we prepared for the day the negotiations would open, and we worked as if they already had. For that reason, our negotiating team has excelled in this process, because they did not go to the negotiation table to learn there what to do, but were well-trained during that three-year era of Albania’s humiliation.
So today, we know our tasks very well. We are the only country in the region that uses Artificial Intelligence for this process, and thanks to Diella, we carry out the transfer of the entire legal corpus of the European Union at a very high speed to adapt it into the legal corpus of the Republic of Albania. At the same time, we are meticulously fulfilling all objectives set in the joint calendar, and we analyze with patience all those points listed here as problems to be addressed and resolved.
So, I want to sincerely thank both of our ministers, respectively, the chief negotiator and the deputy chief negotiator who are truly two major reasons to feel at ease and, at the same time, to receive full respect in Brussels, together with all the negotiators, some of whom are here and who are a source of national pride for us.
I don’t want to go on further. In every area, the report presents both achievements and problems. In every area, the report tells Albanians that Albania is moving decisively in the right direction, and at the same time tells us what we must do more and better to move forward without interruption to reach the 2027 objective. And I hope and wish that this message is received as it should by all those who do not support this government, but who today should still feel good, because the closer we get to the EU, the more space and care there will be for everyone, something that is not missing from this report either.
So, feel good, all of you, whether supporters or opponents of this government, because this government has done its duties for both supporters and opponents alike. And then, the ever-growing closeness with the European Union is a guarantee for everyone. Because we are supporters and opponents of governments at different times, depending on which ones come and go.
Ours will not leave without bringing the European Union to Albania and without making Albania a proud member of the European Union. After that, we’ll see and act according to what the people decide.
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Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. Yesterday, Commissioner Kos gave an interview to The Financial Times where she said that new member states could be placed in a trial period. She noted that the Commission is working on ideas such as transitional periods, a sort of trial phase, and safeguard mechanisms. What do you think of this idea?
And to you, Mr. Ambassador, could you tell us something more about this idea raised yesterday by Commissioner Kos? Thank you.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Now, you will have to forgive me for what I am about to say, but before you take it as a lack of modesty, I would ask you to check your own archives. This idea was first put forward by me, many years ago, and I have repeated it every time I have had the chance. I stand by it, because it is an idea I did not invent, although I was the one who brought it up publicly. It is an idea that has deep roots in the history of European thought, and it is an approach that allows both sides to get what they need without creating problems for each other.
That means we want to become EU members, we want to sit at the table as equals, we want full access to the entire EU framework from the legal aspect, from the capacity aspect, from the budgetary aspect, and so on.
They want the same thing, but they fear that being 27 already makes decision making difficult because it is a family where everything is decided by consensus. Now they say, imagine if we become 28, 29, 30, 32, how much harder it might get, even though as Balkan people I think today we are calmer than those who have long since become Balkanized.
And that is reason enough to find an intermediate path that works positively for both sides. So, I see this as something very positive. We have also made concrete proposals and are ready to take part in any kind of discussion. This does not need treaty changes; it can be done simply through an agreement. After an agreement, we sit at the table. What matters is that we do not have the veto, and they are not afraid of our veto. That is all.
And here I see neither inequality nor a problem, so I fully welcome this idea. It does not surprise me at all, because even with the Commissioner, among other things, in our first meeting I said this just as I have always said it everywhere, despite hearing from some who are no longer around today, no, what is this, we want you inside the house with everything we have, including the veto.
Alright then, fine, but this is not a problem that came from us, it came from them. And we are saying, here is how we can address it, so that we can be together at the same table without any concern, neither about equality, nor about their own public opinion.
In fact, one of the big ones once told me, you will join the EU for sure, and we will celebrate together. He is no longer around, he is gone. So, I understand the goodwill and good intentions, I do, but times have changed, and we need to adapt to the times. It is completely normal to find a path that allows us to sit at the table, ensuring that our rights remain equal, while their concerns do not turn into an obstacle for us, so that they do not keep saying, wait a bit, until we reform the EU, as another one who is now on his way out used to tell me, and then we will see about it.
Ambassador of the European Union Delegation, Silvio Gonzato: I think the Prime Minister has been quite eloquent, but what I wanted to add is that, as you know, the one fundamental step for a country to join the European Union is the accession treaty. The accession treaty is a treaty that introduces some technical or institutional adjustments to the way in which the European Union works, which are needed for this member state to join smoothly the European Union.
The last accession treaty dates to 14 years ago, and the practice has always been that we look at the experience of previous accessions and take them into account when we design the new accession treaties.
I believe that the Commissioner has been referring to the need to introduce strong safeguards to ensure that the reforms and the rule of law in countries that join the European Union are well anchored and there is no risk of slide back or these kinds of things. But let me also echo the words of the Prime Minister, that the adjustments that you can introduce with an accession treaty cannot go and affect what are the fundamental principles of the Treaty on the European Union, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. That would entail a complete revision of our treaties, and that is not what we are talking about here.
Mr. Prime Minister, you once again reiterated the readiness of the Albanian state to join the European Union without the right of veto. However, regarding this very proposal, Commissioner Marta Kos also made a statement, saying that there is no discussion about having member states divided into two categories. How do you interpret the Commissioner’s response? And, if possible, could both you and the Ambassador share your positions on this declared readiness of the Albanian state?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Do not overthink this part, because it is simply a conceptual discussion, a general debate about how things could be in the future. There is no reason to worry about it. We are not at that stage yet. When we reach that stage, we will talk. For now, it is only an abstract discussion, not connected to any concrete process that should concern us, and certainly not you, who already have so many other things to deal with and so many real concerns. So do not waste energy on this; it is not today’s topic.
What truly matters today is that this report clearly states that Albania is on the right path to technically conclude the negotiation process within 2027. This report says exactly what I was telling Albanians every day when we went out to seek their support for a fourth mandate, and when some asked me, “Where did you get that from?” Well, now the report itself says it. That is the most important thing Albanians need to hear today. Everything else is part of the process, and as for this debate, I think we have already exhausted it.
Ambassador of the European Union Delegation, Silvio Gonzato: I will repeat what I just said. The position of the European Commission is not to propose any changes to the treaties that would affect their basic rules or principles. What you described, involving two categories of member states, would amount precisely to that. This is not something we have on the table, nor part of the Commission’s.
In fact, my question was for Ambassador Gonzato. Mr. Ambassador, the European Commission’s Progress Report once again confirmed the May 11 elections. However, political polarization and dialogue remain concerning. As Albania now needs to advance a series of laws related to integration, do you have a message for the political parties?
Ambassador of the European Union Delegation, Silvio Gonzato: Yes, and it is a message that I deliver almost daily in my conversations with parliamentarians, is that parliament is an absolutely key role to play, and what I’m calling them on is to be willing and able to play a role and give a contribution to the process of reforms that will bring this country into the European Union. I believe that, as I said at the end of my speech, we need healthy debates, which can be critical, of course. I mean, this is what parliament is about.
There are different views of how Albania can join the European Union, but they must take place, and they must be the opportunity also for citizens to understand what these reforms imply for their lives, for their work, for their business, and so on and so forth.
This is how we also ensure that the reforms are sustainable in the long term, because people will own them and embrace them, and that’s extremely important.
