Albania’s EU Membership Talks Accelerate, Leaving North Macedonia Behind

Albania and North Macedonia are set to take separate paths on their journey toward European Union membership. This became evident after a meeting of the Union’s permanent representatives in Brussels, where a unanimous decision was made to initiate formal negotiations with Albania for full membership.

The process will officially begin during the second EU-Albania intergovernmental conference, scheduled to take place in Luxembourg on October 15. During this conference, it is expected that the first group of negotiation chapters, titled "Fundamental Issues," will be opened.

Negotiations for EU membership with both Albania and North Macedonia initially started on July 19, 2022. However, neither country has yet opened any negotiation chapters. The recent decision is seen as a significant step forward for Albania.

Bulgarian diplomats in Brussels have remarked that this decision effectively signals a separation of Albania and North Macedonia on their EU accession paths, marking a divergence in their membership processes.