EU opens energy, environment cluster in accession talks with Albania

Albania officially started negotiations with the European Union on the so-called cluster 4, encompassing the green agenda and sustainable connectivity. It is joining Montenegro and Serbia, which haven’t yet closed any of the four chapters in the group: transport policy, energy, trans-European networks, and environment and climate change.

The Council of the EU held an accession conference with Albania and declared the opening of formal talks on cluster 4.

“Enlargement is at the top of our priorities as a geopolitical necessity for the EU. I am happy that we took a next step today with Albania. This is another clear proof of the country’s path towards European integration. I look forward to holding more meetings in the coming months with Albania and with other candidate countries to move forward the EU’s enlargement,” said Minister for European affairs of Denmark Marie Bjerre, who led the European Union’s delegation. Her country is currently holding the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU.

Rama: Our challenge is to reinvent ourselves

Prime Minister Edi Rama and his team represented Albania at the event, in which European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos participated as well.

“Today we opened another cluster, it’s, as a matter of fact, five clusters in 11 months. In my understanding, it’s a record. And we are looking forward to opening the last cluster before this year ends… Environment is today a really pressing issue, and demands are challenging even for member states to keep the standards and to protect the standards. So, our challenge is to reinvent ourselves,” Rama said at a press conference with the two EU officials.

No chapters from cluster 4 closed yet in Western Balkans

The chapters in cluster 4, on the green agenda and sustainable connectivity, are transport policy (14), energy (15), trans-European networks (21) and environment and climate change (27). The trans-European networks comprise Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E), Trans-European Networks for Transport (TEN-T) and Trans-European Networks for Telecommunications (eTEN).

As for the rest of the Western Balkans, Montenegro opened the first three in 2015 and the remaining one in 2018. It started its accession talks in 2012. The EU grouped 33 chapters into six clusters in 2020, while 34 and 35 are separate.

Albania is third in the region to open cluster 4

Serbia, which started negotiations in 2014, launched cluster 4 in late 2021. Notably, neither closed any chapters in the group. Montenegro closed seven in total, compared to just two on Serbia’s list.

Albania opened accession negotiations in 2022, as did North Macedonia. The former didn’t close any chapters yet and the latter didn’t even open a single one. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a candidate but it still didn’t start negotiations. Kosovo* is only a potential candidate.

EU urging tangible progress against environmental crimes

Among other points in its common position regarding the talks being launched, the EU urged Albania to accelerate renewable energy deployment by completing the necessary rules and regulations on permitting. The negotiators from the administration in Brussels said the Electricity Integration Package (EIP) needs to be fully implemented as well.

Albania has to align with EU acquis on environmental crimes and make tangible progress, especially against wildlife crimes, deterioration of habitats, illegal shipment or dumping of waste, pollution crimes and illegal trading in hazardous substances, the document reads.