EU terms for Albania on minority rights
Athens welcomes clear reform deadlines set by Brussels for Tirana’s accession progress
Athens has expressed satisfaction with the common European position’s text ahead of Tuesday’s second intergovernmental conference between Tirana and the European Union in Luxembourg.
The conference will mark the beginning of negotiations on Albania’s first set of accession chapters, critical to Greece as they cover judicial authority, fundamental rights, justice, freedom and security.
Diplomatic sources underscore that the EU’s common position aligns with Greek interests, particularly regarding property rights and the rights of the ethnic Greek minority. They note that specific commitments and obligations for Tirana will be systematically monitored and evaluated by the European Commission.
The text obtained by Kathimerini mentions Albania’s plans to protect and promote minority rights per its international obligations and European standards.
It highlights the requirement for Tirana to adopt remaining executive regulations related to self-identification and other rights, including using minority languages with administrative bodies and public authorities by the end of 2024, as stipulated in the rule of law roadmap.
Furthermore, the document outlines Albania’s obligations to digitize cadastral maps under the rule of law roadmap to establish an effective and transparent property registration system, offering clear and secure property titles by 2030. The EU calls on Albanian authorities to address issues with forged documents as outlined in the Council’s December 2023 enlargement conclusions.
Emphasis is also placed on revising investment legislation, considered a priority to be addressed by 2026.
Albanian authorities are urged to ensure expropriations in the public interest come with fair compensation for legitimate owners.
A clear classification process for properties would help avoid erroneous classifications or misuse.
Tuesday’s second EU-Albania intergovernmental conference also officially separates North Macedonia from the pair of candidate countries for accession.
Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis represented Greece at the Berlin Process Summit, a German-led initiative to promote the European perspective of the Western Balkans. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hosted the summit, and the atmosphere for Albania was celebratory, contrasting with North Macedonia, which remains outside the process for now.
Gerapetritis reiterated Greece’s long-standing position, established 20 years ago with the Thessaloniki Agenda, on integrating the Western Balkans into the European family.
He emphasized the need for full respect for the European acquis, international law, democracy, and the rule of law.
