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EU Ambassador Gonzato: There is no blockage in Albania's integration process, negotiations continue

2026-04-09 20:15:00, Politikë CNA

EU Ambassador Gonzato: There is no blockage in Albania's integration

The European Union Ambassador to Tirana, Silvio Gonzato, spoke extensively today on the issue of Albania's integration process.

Gonzato emphasized in an interview with "Euronews Albania" that at this moment there can be no talk of blocking the process, since as he emphasized, Albania-EU meetings are continuing.

Gonzato also spoke about much-discussed topics, such as political consensus among member states, perceptions and speculations, while adding that negotiations have not stopped.

“First of all, this is a process where we have to reach consensus. The sequence of meetings aims to build consensus between Member States. And the Commission is there to answer questions, to respond to critical points that Member States may raise and to provide the information that they want, in order to confirm or perhaps correct their perception of things. There is a lot of speculation about what is happening now in the so-called COELA, the Council Working Group on Enlargement. And I honestly do not want to get into that. These are confidential negotiations and we have to allow this space to be respected. What is certain is that the meetings are continuing. Another one is planned, so that means that the negotiations are continuing. So I do not think we can talk about blockages. There is certainly a discussion going on. Member States examined the technical assessment by the Commission, but they also want to see the overall political context in which these reforms have been developed. So it is not a question of some Member States blocking others, or have a different opinion. It's just a matter of them discussing the situation, assessing the situation, asking questions to the Commission and then deciding what will be included in the common position. And the common position is about the final standards. So discussion does not mean that the Commission comes with a report and they decide yes or no. No, it takes time because they have to decide what kind of requirements we want to put in place at the end of the process, to make sure that these reforms are anchored in the Albanian system and are sustainable, they cannot be reversed. To be honest, I have not heard that there has been a connection between Montenegro and Albania. Both countries have been described as forerunners, because Albania has made a lot of progress last year in opening chapters and in catching up with Montenegro. So, in fact, if you look at the situation now, the different candidate countries are indeed forerunners. But I don't think there have ever been discussions to link them together. And "You know, we keep repeating that the process is based on merit. So, each country is evaluated based on its own performance," the ambassador declared./ CNA





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