Today, the EU and Albania provisionally closed accession negotiations on rules regarding enterprise and industrial policy.
Following the closure of the first three negotiating chapters last July, I welcome the closure of another chapter on enterprise and industrial policy, at this second accession conference with Albania under the Irish presidency. This achievement reflects our commitment to advance Albania’s EU integration path. I strongly welcome this significant progress, and I encourage Albania to stay the course on core reforms to move forward in the process, in the coming months.
Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for European affairs and defence of Ireland
The closing of negotiations of this chapter (number 20) follows the provisional closure of another three negotiating chapters on science and research (25), education and culture (26), and external relations (30) in July 2026.
Albania has opened all 33 screened negotiating chapters in its EU accession negotiations and has now provisionally closed 4.
According to the negotiating principles endorsed by the Accession Conference, agreements reached in the course of negotiations on specific chapters may not be considered as final until an overall agreement has been reached for all chapters.
The EU may, if necessary, return to these chapters.
Background
Following the introduction of the revised methodology for accession negotiations in 2020, negotiating chapters are divided in 6 thematic clusters:
- Fundamentals
- Internal market
- Competitiveness and inclusive growth
- Green agenda and sustainable connectivity
- Resources, agriculture and cohesion
- External relations
Negotiations on the Fundamentals cluster are the first to be opened and the last to be closed, and progress under this cluster will determine the overall pace of negotiations.
