The second intergovernmental conference takes place this morning with Albania, on the sidelines of the EU General Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

This second intergovernmental conference, organized with Tirana in the presence of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, will mark the opening of the first chapter of negotiations for the country’s accession to the EU, which concerns fundamental rights and the rule of law.

At the end of September, the EU ambassadors, with a unanimous decision, disconnected Albania’s accession process from that of North Macedonia. The accession process for the two countries was linked by the start of negotiations in the summer of 2022. However, due to disagreements between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, the opening of capital was delayed, also hindering Albania’s accession process.

The prime minister of Albania Eddie Ramaattending the Inter-Government in Luxembourg this morning, expressed his country’s satisfaction, saying: “We feel very excited and determined to finally start with the hardest part of work, which is the opening of the fundamental rights chaptern”.

He also emphasized his country’s will to move forward and complete the “very ambitious deadline for this whole negotiation process, until Albania can sit as an equal member around the table of the EU member states.”

The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Gerapetritis, attending the Council, emphasized that Greece’s position is that the first set of chapters, which opens today and concerns fundamental rights and the rule of law, “should include both the rights of minorities, including the Greek national minority, especially their property rights”.

In the EU’s common position ahead of the intergovernmental conference with Albania on the start of accession negotiations on the first set of “core” funds, the following are highlighted, among other things:

“The EU notes Albania’s plans to protect and promote the rights of persons belonging to minorities, in accordance with its international obligations and European and international standards, including by ensuring the effective implementation of the legislative framework. The EU continues to urge Albania to adopt the remaining implementing regulations on self-determination and other related rights and the use of the languages ​​of national minorities in their contacts with administrative bodies and public authorities by the end of 2024, as foreseen in the roadmap for the rule of law”.

Regarding the right to property, “the EU notes that Albania has adopted implementing legislation on the Land Registry Law and the Law on Completing Transitional Property Procedures, but significant implementation challenges remain. In particular, according to the chapters of the Roadmap for the Rule of Law, there will be an effective and transparent property registration and integrated management system, which will provide clear and secure property titles in Albania, to ensure the right to property with a fully digitized service in practice by 2030″.