Albania among EU accession frontrunners, Von der Leyen says

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Albania’s progress towards EU membership, saying the country was among the frontrunners in the bloc’s accession process.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, von der Leyen said “Albanians have Europe in their hearts” and praised efforts to turn the country’s European aspirations into reality, CE Report quotes ATA.

“You and Albania have worked hard to turn Albania’s European dream into reality. So my first message is simple: the goal is on the horizon. Albania is among the frontrunners in our accession process,” von der Leyen told Rama.

EC President said her assessment was based on her regular monitoring of Albania’s progress, noting that she had also visited Tirana last year.

“I can make this assessment because I come every year to see the progress, and since I was here last year, Albania has once again made remarkable progress,” she said.

Von der Leyen noted that Albania had opened the final negotiating clusters and provisionally closed its first three chapters in July, including the chapter on external relations.

“This is very significant progress because it means Albania is fully aligned with our common foreign and security policy – 100%,” she said. “This means we see the world through the same eyes, and that is very important in the accession process.”

She also stressed that the EU and Albania stood together when their values and interests were challenged.

“I want to convey not only to Albanian citizens but also to EU citizens that Albania’s accession will not only make Albania stronger, but will also make the European Union stronger,” von der Leyen said.

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