BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 17. Today, the seventh meeting of the EU-Albania Accession Conference marked the official opening of negotiations on cluster 5, which covers resources, agriculture, and cohesion, Trend reports citing the European Commission's latest reports.
This cluster, the last remaining in Albania’s accession talks, includes key areas such as agriculture and fisheries, food safety, and cohesion policies.
Marie Bjerre, Denmark’s Minister for European Affairs, highlighted the geopolitical importance of enlargement and the EU’s commitment to the Western Balkans. “Accession of our Western Balkans partners, upon completion of the necessary reforms, is very important. Today’s step of opening the last negotiating cluster with Albania demonstrates the country’s commitment to further advancing its path towards EU membership,” she said.
The opening of cluster 5 follows the earlier openings of the first cluster on ‘Fundamentals’, the sixth on ‘External Relations’, the second on ‘Internal Market’, the third on ‘Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth’, and the fourth on ‘Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity’. These sessions took place on 15 October 2024, 17 December 2024, 14 April 2025, 22 May 2025, and 16 September 2025, respectively.
The EU will continue to monitor Albania’s progress in aligning with and implementing the EU acquis and relevant European standards throughout the negotiations. Benchmarks for the provisional closure of the chapters in cluster 5 have also been set, with the Accession Conference expected to return to the cluster at an appropriate time.