The 19th Meeting of the Albania-EU Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC) took place in Strasbourg on 18-19 June. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Toni Gogu from the delegation of the Albanian Parliament and the Chair of D-AL, Mr. Marco Tarquinio, from the European Parliament’s side.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Tarquinio welcomed all participants, including Mr. Taulant Balla, Minister of State for Relations with Parliament, Mr. Pawel Lacki, representative of the Polish Presidency, Mr. Andreas Schieder, EP Rapporteur for Albania, Ms. Sigrit Brettel, Director of the Unit for Albania and North Macedonia in DG ENEST and Ms. Zuzana Michalcova Sutiakova, Head of Division for the Western Balkans in the EEAS. Tarquinio also thanked Ambassador Hoxha for his continued participation and involvement as well as the excellent exchange of views held with D-AL members at the last meeting.
On behalf of the Polish Presidency, Mr. Lacki expressed his satisfaction with the opening of two clusters within this semester, encouraging Albania to continue working towards integration and guaranteeing Poland’s full support in the enlargement process. “I am convinced that the next Presidency, the Danish one, will show the same support,” Lacki said.
On behalf of the Albanian government, Minister Balla considered the support of the European Parliament in the integration process to be very valuable, reconfirming that European integration remains the main priority of the Albanian government and that reforms will continue in this direction. “The very rapid progress in the past year is a direct reflection of our commitment on the path towards the EU,” said Balla.
Furthermore, during the SAPC proceedings, important issues such as: good neighborly relations and regional cooperation, fundamental rights, media freedom, tourism and sustainable development, as well as the rule of law and the fight against organized crime and corruption were discussed. In the session dedicated to EU-Albania relations, representatives of Albanian and European Union institutions, namely the EEAS and the European Commission, exchanged views on the progress of Albania’s EU accession process to date. Both institutions strongly appreciated the steady progress achieved during the first half of 2025, including the opening of four negotiation chapters, in particular Chapter 1 on Fundamentals, as well as the progress in approximation with the EU acquis and its policies.
The SAPC welcomed Albania’s commitment to EU membership, recognizing it as a key element for the country’s progress and as a reflection of the broad national consensus among citizens and political forces. The delegation members focused mainly on the ongoing reform efforts, which remain the country’s priority, particularly in the context of ongoing negotiations on four groups of acquis chapters and the expectation of opening negotiations on the remaining two groups of chapters.
The full delegation of the Parliament of Albania was composed of these members: Mr. Fatmir Xhafaj, Mr. Etjen Xhafaj, Ms. Enslemvera Zake, Ms. Evis Kushi, Mr. Lavdrim Krrashi from the Socialist Party as well as Ms. Jorida Tabaku, Mr. Gazmend Bardhi, Mr. Oerd Bylykbashi, Mr. Agron Gjekmarkaj, Ms. Zheni Gjergji, Ms. Ina Zhupa and Mr. Saimir Korreshi from the Democratic Party. At the end of the meeting, the two co-chairs, Mr. Marco Tarquinio and Mr. Toni Gogu, issued a joint statement.
