Albania is set to clear another hurdle on its road to EU membership on Tuesday. At a meeting with EU member states in Luxembourg, it is expected to provisionally close the chapter on enterprise and industrial policy, the EU Council has announced.
EU ambassadors approved the meeting on Friday. Albania's government said the decision reflected Brussels' positive view of its reforms to support businesses, small firms, innovation and investment.
Prime Minister Edi Rama declared, in a Facebook post, that Albania "closes the fourth chapter" and that "the countdown towards the historic objective" had begun.
How the talks work
Countries hoping to join the EU must bring their laws and institutions in line with EU rules across 33 policy areas, known as "chapters."
The EU signs off on each one only when it is satisfied that the work is done. Even then, the closure is provisional, and a chapter can be reopened if reforms stall.
Under the EU's current rules, a candidate cannot close any chapter before it shows progress on the rule of law. Albania cleared that bar in May.
At that point, Brussels confirmed that it had met the interim requirements on the judiciary, fundamental rights, and justice and security. The EU also set the final targets Albania must hit in those areas.
Progress so far
Albania opened its first group of chapters, on the rule of law and the functioning of democratic institutions, in October 2024.
By November 2025, Albania had opened all 33 chapters, roughly a year after starting.
It closed its first three in July: science and research, education and culture, and external relations. Tuesday’s step will bring the tally to four, with 29 still to go.
Racing the 2027 deadline
The government's target is ambitious. Rama has repeatedly said Albania will finish negotiations by the end of 2027 and join the EU by 2030. Brussels appears increasingly willing to back that timeline.
Last month, Euronews reported that the European Commission is preparing a roadmap expected to formally endorse the 2027 goal. The roadmap would also spell out what Albania still needs to deliver.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has also signalled that Albania is next in line. In June she said that Montenegro is the most likely candidate to join the bloc next, with Albania right behind it.
The arithmetic remains daunting, however. Meeting the 2027 deadline would mean closing the remaining 29 chapters in a little over a year, far faster than the pace so far. Kos herself has stressed that enlargement "doesn't work with dates".
The toughest tests are also still ahead. At a recent civil society meeting, a justice ministry official acknowledged that the hardest phase was only beginning: delivering real results on the courts and on corruption.
Integration experts have also cautioned that speed should not come at the expense of quality.
Neighbouring Montenegro, the region's frontrunner, had closed 18 chapters by July. It is aiming to wrap up its negotiations by the end of 2026.
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