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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that Albania's bid to join the European Union is "in sight," casting the Western Balkan nation as one of the front-runners in the bloc's accession process during a joint news conference with Prime Minister Edi Rama in the Albanian capital.
"You in Albania have been working hard to turn Albania's European dream into reality," von der Leyen told Rama, crediting the country with "remarkable progress" over the past year.
Von der Leyen said Albania has opened the final clusters of negotiating chapters in its accession talks and, in July, closed its first three chapters, including the one covering external relations. She said Albania's foreign and security policy is now "100%" aligned with that of the EU, telling reporters the two sides "see the world with the same eyes."
Rama said his government was preparing to begin closing additional negotiating chapters before the end of the year, reaffirming what he called Albania's "ironclad will" to carry out the steps required for membership.
Despite the progress, von der Leyen said further work remains across open chapters, singling out justice, the electoral framework and environmental protection as areas requiring continued reform.
"Adopting the reforms is important, but it is, of course, also equally important to implement those reforms thoroughly to make sure that they deliver real change for the people of Albania," she said.
Rama pointed to his government's campaign against organized crime and corruption as evidence of that shift, saying that "if up until a while back corruption was the system, now the system is fighting corruption."
Von der Leyen said Albania has completed more than 80% of the reform steps required under the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and has already received 213 million euros, or about $241 million, in EU funding, with additional disbursements expected in the coming weeks.
She also said the European Commission will present its pre-enlargement policy reviews next week, an assessment of the EU's own institutions, policies and budget meant to prepare the bloc to absorb new members.
"Accession will always remain merit-based, but merit-based does not mean slow," she said.
Albania has been an EU candidate country since 2014 and formally opened accession negotiations with the bloc in 2022, alongside neighboring North Macedonia.
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