20th anniversary of the Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion/ Balla: Albania is moving at the fastest pace towards the EU

2026-06-13 13:08:00, Aktualitet CNA

20th anniversary of the Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion/ Balla: Albania is moving at

The Head of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group, Taulant Balla, was present today at the event organized on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion in Tirana, where he assessed the role of regional cooperation as an important instrument for European integration and the sustainable development of the countries of the region.

In his speech, Balla emphasized that Albania is closer than ever to membership in the European Union, underlining the country's rapid progress in the negotiation process.

"Albania is advancing at an unprecedented pace in the European Union accession process. We have concluded the opening of the negotiation chapters and have begun the process of closing them, with the ambitious objective of completing the negotiations within 2027," Balla said.

He noted that Albania is today considered one of the most advanced countries in the European Union enlargement process, along with Montenegro, while enjoying broad support in European institutions for its journey towards membership.

The Chairman of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group, Balla, also underlined that Albania remains the only country in the region that has fully harmonized its foreign policy with that of the European Union, being considered an important factor for regional stability and cooperation.

Focusing on the role of the Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion, Balla described this organization as a successful model of cross-border cooperation, which has contributed for two decades to strengthening dialogue, partnership and development between the countries of the region.

According to him, the Adriatic-Ionian region has great potential in areas such as tourism, infrastructure, blue economy, energy, education and innovation, while the common challenge remains transforming this potential into concrete opportunities for citizens.

In his speech, Balla also emphasized the importance of investing in youth and education, emphasizing that European integration is not just an institutional process, but a process of cooperation between communities, regions and citizens.

Balla expressed gratitude to the leaders and partners of the Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion for their contribution over the years, and reiterated the commitment of the Albanian Parliament to support any initiative that strengthens regional cooperation and brings the country closer to the European family./ CNA