The third EU-Albania Intergovernmental Conference was held today in Brussels, where cluster 6 on foreign policy was opened to that country.
Cluster 6 consists of negotiation chapters 30 (external relations) and 31 (foreign, security and defense policy).
The EU has also set benchmarks for the temporary closure of those chapters, the EU Council announced.
The EU delegation at the Intergovernmental Conference was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Sijarto in front of Hungary, which will preside over the Union until the end of the year, and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos also participated.
Albania opened the first cluster in the EU membership negotiations on October 15. It is about cluster 1 - basics.
"Today we held the second Intergovernmental Conference with Albania during the Hungarian Presidency, taking another concrete step in the pre-accession process. This progress reflects our strong focus on the integration of the Western Balkans, which is crucial for the stability and future of the EU," Szijarto said.
Rama said in Brussels that Albania's ambition is to open more clusters by spring, and then finish opening chapters next year. He added that the opening of cluster 6 motivates Tirana on its way to the EU.
The announcement of the Council of the EU states that during the negotiations with Albania, monitoring of progress in the harmonization and application of the acquis of the EU and relevant European standards will continue.
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