On 23 October, Ambassador Hoxha became part of a panel discussion on “Strategic Priorities for EU Enlargement Policy”. The event was organised by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and brought together the Director-General for Neighbourhood and Accession Negotiations of the European Commission (ENEST), Mr. Gert Jan Koopman, with the Ambassadors of Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Moldova and Ukraine.

This event, which precedes the publication of the European Commission’s Annual Reports on Enlargement Policy (4 November) and the Enlargement Forum (18 November), focused on the strategic priorities of the candidate countries in this process, encouraging discussion beyond the technical issues of legal approximation or standards. Also at the center of the discussion was the contribution of candidate countries in the field of security and in strengthening the EU’s geopolitical position or the needs for its internal reform, so that the membership of new countries is as efficient as possible.

DG ENEST assessed that the enlargement process is accelerating and highlighted the examples of Albania and Montenegro. It was confirmed that the work on the respective deadlines set is on track, especially in terms of substance. Therefore, it is necessary to consolidate the reforms. Ambassador Hoxha emphasized, among other things, that never before has the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU been discussed more concretely and seriously. He pointed out the clarity with which Albania assesses the accelerated pace of the integration process, and that results are more important while respecting the deadlines. He praised the leadership of Commissioner Kos and DG ENEST. Albania, he said, is now reaping the fruits of the work done over the years when it believed in the process even though many saw it as impossible. One of the challenges is to make European citizens believe in the process not only as a benefit for the candidate countries but also as an investment in their future, as the EU enlargement process has always been.

The full video of the event can be found at: