Albania faces EU accession hurdles amid opposition criticism and fast‑track talks

EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos announced that all negotiation chapters for Albania have been opened and the Albanian government aims to close them by the end of 2027, sign an accession treaty in 2028 and achieve full EU membership by 2030.

Opposition MP Klevis Balliu condemned the 2025 Integration Report as “propaganda”, accusing the government of allowing organized crime and corruption to undermine the justice system. He noted that nine EU member states have asked for further explanations on Albania’s judiciary, anti‑corruption efforts and democratic standards, and cited a backlog of more than 147 000 court cases.

Former Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha claimed Prime Minister Edi Rama is hiding the European Parliament’s report on the integration process, alleging a lack of transparency and urging independent audit of the IBAR mechanism.