EU Working Group Meets on Albania’s Accession Benchmark as Rama Dismisses Blockage Claims

The Newsroom

An EU Council working group met Tuesday to assess a critical milestone in Albania’s accession negotiations, as Prime Minister Edi Rama insisted the process remains on schedule and rejected suggestions of any stalling.

The Working Group on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating with the EU, COELA, is examining the Interim Benchmark Assessment Report, IBAR, for the Fundamentals cluster, the first and most demanding group of negotiating chapters. A positive IBAR outcome is a prerequisite for Albania to advance to the chapter-closing phase of accession talks.

Rama, speaking at a separate event in Tirana, said the timing reflected the natural rhythm of the process. “April is the month of intensive discussions,” he said, following the consolidation of member state questions at the end of March. He described the negotiations as “a process of continuous testing and examinations” and said there was “zero reason” to speak of a blockage. COELA’s assessment has not yet been made public.

The prime minister also credited Albania’s public administration with having secured the confidence of EU counterparts, arguing that civil servants had been insulated from political interference in appointments and performance evaluations.

On the margins of the same event, Rama announced the launch of puna.gov.al, a dedicated public sector employment portal aimed at standardizing recruitment. Economy Minister Delina Ibrahimaj said the platform’s goal was transparency in hiring. Applicants will have a seven-day window per position and will be able to track results through the portal.