On Friday, the European Union agreed to open another chapter in EU accession negotiations with Albania. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told public broadcaster RTSH that this chapter, known as “Cluster 4,” is entitled “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity.”

The chapter covers key policy areas such as the environment, energy, transport, and trans-European networks – a set of issues that Rama described as “crucial for a modern, European Albania.”

On Thursday evening, Rama had already announced on social media that Albania had “taken another real step towards integration.” The decision was taken unanimously by the EU member states at the intergovernmental conference in Brussels. According to RTSH, the opening of this chapter is a clear signal that Albania’s reform efforts are being recognized in Brussels and that progress has been made.

The European Commission had already recommended opening Cluster 4 for Albania at a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Luxembourg in April 2025. Koha.net reported that Albania is now in an active and structured negotiation process, around two years after the start of the technical screening phase in July 2022. The first chapter (“Fundamentals”) had already been opened in October 2024.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Várhelyi, also recently praised Albania’s progress. In an interview with Euronews, he emphasized that Albania had “done considerable technical work in a short period of time” and that the EU still expected accession “by 2030” – provided that the reforms were implemented consistently. According to Euronews, particular focus is being placed on the judiciary, public administration, and the fight against corruption.

The latest decision also increases Albania’s access to financial resources from the new EU growth plan for the Western Balkans. According to RTSH, the country will have around 922 million euros at its disposal until 2027 through the IPA III program and the so-called Reform and Growth Facility.

Prime Minister Rama sees this development as a long-term success: “We submitted our application for membership in 2009, were granted candidate status in 2014, and today we can see that the journey has been worthwhile.” According to Rama, the opening of Cluster 4 is not only symbolic, but also represents concrete progress toward full membership.

The next steps on the road to EU membership include chapters on competitiveness, the internal market, and foreign policy. According to Koha.net, negotiations on these issues are already being prepared.