Brussels – While Albania is making concrete steps in its EU accession negotiations, bottom-up support comes from European local and regional actors, who know perfectly well, on the ground, the benefits and the shortcomings of the political project that Tirana aims to join by 2030.
“We can make it clear that Europe is a community with a shared destiny, moving forward together through concrete solidarity among member states and bridging the inequalities that still exist to bring everyone to the same level,” says Antonio Mazzeo (PES), member of the Regional Council of Tuscany, Italy, and co-chair of the European Committee of the Regions’ Joint Consultative Committee with Albania, in an interview with The New Union Post.
Speaking at the margins of the latest CoR–Albania JCC during the European Committee of the Regions’ Enlargement Days on 3 June, Mazzeo recommends “investing the resources that may come from Europe to reduce the gap between Tirana and the more rural areas.” Having witnessed first-hand the “significant territorial disparity” between major urban centres and more rural areas during his visit to the country in December 2025, the Italian regional councillor advised using EU funds already available in the pre-accession phase to “always keeping the individual at the centre.”
This means, in all processes – from public health to infrastructure – “not focusing solely on short-term interests,” Mazzeo points out, noting that “this is the risk that could alienate people from collective participation processes.” One concrete example brought by the member of the Regional Council of Tuscany is “investing in education starting from early childhood.” Supported by the EU, Region of Tuscany has been funding free preschool education for those with an income below a certain threshold (under €35,000 in Italy).
The enthusiasm of the EU regions
“It is time to step up the pace, because the application for membership dates back to 2009, and progress has been very slow since then,” Mazzeo reiterates. While “now there is political will, and at the European level we believe that EU enlargement is a strategic priority,” the focus must be kept on all the reforms needed in Tirana to align with EU standards.
The Italian CoR member confirms the willingness of the European regions to “contribute by supporting these processes of change,” even though “it is clear” that without major changes, it is difficult to be part of the same community. “Corruption must be kept in check, and democratic processes must be established, just as in all other EU countries.”
At the same time, enthusiasm can be felt inside and outside the room. “I believe there is both the opportunity and the conditions in place for Albania to finally become part of our European project by the end of this legislative term,” Mazzeo continues, drawing from both the “strong desire” of his Albanian colleagues and the encouragement from the representatives of EU local and regional authorities.
According to the co-chair of the CoR–Albania JCC, “it is in everyone’s interest for this enlargement to take place, because only by expanding Europe can we truly build peace.” At the same time, he calls on the EU institutions to take steps on internal reforms, because “if the EU expands significantly and the veto remains an integral part of it, we risk bringing Europe’s functioning to a halt.” The ultimate goal of a Union of 27+ members is “to expand, but also to speed up – not slow down – decision-making processes,” Mazzeo concludes.
The state of EU–Albania relations
Albania’s application for EU membership was submitted in April 2009. EU candidate status was granted in June 2014. In April 2018, the European Commission issued a recommendation to open accession negotiations with Tirana, as Albania and North Macedonia were grouped together under the so-called ‘package approach’, meaning that either both would advance together or neither would.
Due to deteriorating relations between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, Tirana’s path towards EU accession negotiations also stalled until 19 July 2022, when the accession conferences took place in Brussels. On 25 September 2024, the Council positively assessed Tirana’s alignment with the opening benchmarks for the first cluster of chapters.
On 26 May 2026, Albania received a positive Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR), indicating that it has met the interim benchmarks in Chapter 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and Chapter 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security) – a prerequisite for closing chapters deemed ready for provisional closure.
As of now, all 33 negotiating chapters are currently open. In Tirana, the goal is to conclude negotiations by 2027, with full membership in sight by 2030.
