EU assesses Albania's progress in implementing reforms and pre-accession funds
The European Union has positively assessed Albania's progress in implementing reforms and using pre-accession funds, during two monitoring meetings held in Tirana on June 9 and 10.
The meetings, co-chaired by the National Coordinator of IPA and Growth Plan, Eridana Çano, and the representative of the European Commission, Sigrid Brettel, reviewed the progress of the Reform and Growth Instrument (RGF) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), which support Albania's European integration process.
According to the data presented, Albania has completed 21 out of 41 reform steps in the first reporting period and 12 out of 21 steps in the second period. As a result of this progress, the European Union has so far disbursed 213 million euros out of the total package of 922 million euros, ranking Albania among the best performing countries in the Western Balkans.
Deputy Prime Minister Albana Koçiu emphasized that the Growth Plan represents an important instrument for the long-term transformation of administration and public policies, while the next reporting in July will be an important test for the country's administrative capacities.
For her part, Sigrid Brettel praised the results achieved and encouraged the continuation of reforms, underlining that the European Commission will allocate additional funds to the best performing Western Balkan countries.
The European Commission stressed that maintaining the pace of reforms and effective institutional coordination will be crucial for future disbursements and advancing Albania's accession process to the European Union.
The implementation of around 150 EU-funded projects in various fields was also reviewed during the IPA Annual Monitoring Committee. Since 2007, the European Union has provided over €1.9 billion in grants to Albania, while together with investments mobilised through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, the total support amounts to around €4.7 billion.
The EU welcomed the launch of new projects in the areas of anti-corruption, environment, local governance and food safety, as well as the approval of 100 million new euros under the IPA 2025-2027 program for the rule of law, justice, human rights and good governance.
However, the Commission also identified challenges that require increased attention, including strengthening administrative capacity, improving contracting procedures, financial management and accelerating the implementation of major programmes in the areas of digital transformation, energy efficiency and youth employment.
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