Delegation of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee to the Parliament/ Peleshi: EU membership a national priority

2026-02-18 14:22:00, Aktualitet CNA

Delegation of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee to the Parliament/ Peleshi: EU

The Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Niko Peleshi, received today at the Presidency of the Parliament the delegation of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, AFET, chaired by Chairman David McAllister. The meeting took place within the framework of the visit to familiarize themselves with the process of Albania's membership in the European Union.

President Peleshi and the members of the delegation held an open discussion on Albania's achievements, challenges and further steps on the path towards EU membership, as well as on expanding the Assembly's cooperation with the European Parliament and AFET to accelerate this process.

President Peleshi praised the European Parliament's sustained support and emphasized that EU enlargement constitutes an investment in the security, stability and future of Europe.

He underlined that Albania is now in a new phase of the process, moving from integration to membership, while the Parliament has undertaken legal changes and restructuring to strengthen its role in this process. The country's objective remains the completion of negotiations by the end of 2027 and membership in the European Union by 2030, an ambitious but realistic goal.

The Speaker of the Parliament highlighted Albania's progress in opening negotiations for all groups of chapters, as well as the commitment of the Parliament and institutions to meet intermediate milestones in key areas, especially in the justice system, the fight against corruption and the guarantee of fundamental rights.

The Assembly, he emphasized, has played a central role through the adoption of a series of laws that bring Albanian legislation closer to the EU acquis and through strengthening inter-institutional cooperation and political and parliamentary consensus for membership in the European family.

President Peleshi also reaffirmed the full alignment of Albania's foreign policy with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, stressing that the country remains a reliable and committed partner in the Euro-Atlantic camp. He thanked the AFET delegation and President McAllister for their continued support and confidence in Albania's European future.

This meeting is an important step in strengthening the cooperation of the Assembly with the European Parliament to advance Albania's accession process to the European Union./ CNA