FLASH
Shkruar nga Emanuele Bonini 
Albania advances in negotiations with the EU, but the closure of the three chapters remains only temporary and does not constitute a final guarantee. The closed chapters can be reopened if problems with the implementation of reforms or a return to the standards required by the European Union are identified during the process...
In what was dubbed the “Super Tuesday” of enlargement, the European Union gave a new impetus to the accession process of candidate countries. Montenegro closed two negotiating chapters, Albania its first three chapters, while Moldova opened negotiations on the external relations group.
Montenegro received approval to close the chapters on competition (8) and customs (29). Irish Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, described this as a significant achievement.
"With 18 chapters provisionally closed, more than half of them, Montenegro remains at the forefront of the European Union accession process," Byrne declared.
However, the closure of chapters remains temporary, as they are part of negotiating groups (clusters), which are considered completed only after all the chapters they include have been closed.
Chapter 8 is part of the internal market cluster, while Chapter 29 is part of the competitiveness and inclusive growth cluster. Montenegro aims to complete the entire negotiation process by the end of this year.
Closing of group chapters with provisional Albania
Albania has marked another step in the European Union accession process, provisionally closing the first three negotiation chapters: science and research (25), education and culture (26), and external relations (30).
This development confirms the accelerated pace of negotiations and the EU's positive assessment of the progress of reforms, while the objective remains to conclude the negotiations during 2027.
Albania, whose negotiation process is intended to be completed in 2027, has provisionally closed the first three negotiating chapters: science and research (25), education and culture (26), and external relations (30).
These are the first chapters to be closed since the start of this phase of negotiations, less than two months after the European Union confirmed that the country was ready to move on to closing the chapters.
Irish Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, described this as "significant progress" by the Albanian government, encouraging Tirana to continue implementing fundamental reforms to maintain the pace of negotiations and advance further in the accession process.
Moldova also made progress, although it is at an earlier stage of the process. Unlike Montenegro and Albania, which are closing negotiation chapters, Chisinau received approval to open the external relations group, which includes chapters 30 and 31.
This development comes just a month after Moldova opened negotiations for the “Foundations” group. Byrne assured that the Irish presidency will continue to support the country’s progress in the coming months, with the aim of bringing it and its citizens closer to the European Union.
According to the EU Council, enlargement remains a strategic priority. “The enlargement of the European Union is a geopolitical necessity to guarantee stability, security and the consolidation of democratic reforms in Europe,” declared Byrne, adding that this issue will remain among the main priorities of the Irish presidency until the end of its mandate./ Pamphlet from “Eu News”
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