Accession Conference with Albania: EU opens negotiations on the competitiveness and inclusive growth cluster

23 May 2025

The fifth meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania was held today in Brussels. The meeting served to open negotiations with Albania on the so-called cluster 3: competitiveness and inclusive growth. This cluster includes the following negotiating chapters:

Chapter 10 – Digital transformation and media,
Chapter 16 – Taxation,
Chapter 17 – Economic and monetary policy,
Chapter 19 – Social policy and employment,
Chapter 20 – Enterprise and industrial policy,
Chapter 25 – Science and research,
Chapter 26 – Education and culture,
Chapter 29 – Customs union

The EU also set benchmarks for the provisional closure of these chapters. This follows the opening of the first cluster on ‘Fundamentals’, the sixth cluster on ‘External relations’ and the second cluster on ‘Internal market’ at the Accession Conferences with Albania held on 15 October 2024, 17 December 2024, and 14 April 2025, respectively. Monitoring of progress in the alignment with and implementation of the EU acquis and relevant European standards will continue throughout the negotiations. The Accession Conference will return to this cluster at an appropriate moment. The European Union delegation was led by Ambassador Agnieszka Bartol, Permanent Representative of Poland to the EU, on behalf of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, with the participation of Commission Director General Gert Jan Koopman. The Albanian delegation was led by Mr Igli Hasani, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania.

Background

Following the introduction of the revised methodology for the accession negotiations in 2020, negotiating chapters are divided in six 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.