Minister Byrne holds discussions on Albania’s accession to the EU

The Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne TD, today (25 June) spoke with the Minister of State and Chief Negotiator for Albania's accession to the EU, Majlinda Dhuka. The Ministers discussed the progress Albania is expected to make during Ireland's EU Presidency and Minister Byrne encouraged Albania to continue implementing necessary reforms to advance on its EU path.

Minister Byrne said: "Over the past years, Albania has made remarkable progress in its EU accession process, having opened all six negotiating clusters within one year, and having met Rule of Law interim benchmarks set for Chapter 23 on Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, and Chapter 24 on Justice, Freedom and Security last month. These are significant milestones in Albania's accession process, which pave the way for further progress during Ireland's EU Presidency."

The Minister continued: "Last year, I visited Tirana to engage with the Albanian government, and earlier this month, I was glad to host the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Ferit Hoxha, in Dublin. From my continued engagement with the Albanian government, I fully recognise the significant efforts being made to align its national legislation with EU laws, and its strong commitment to our Union and its values.

"During the Irish EU Presidency, EU enlargement will be a key priority. We want to advance the candidacies of all EU candidate countries, provided that necessary reforms are implemented. Progress will be particularly expected in the areas of the Rule of Law, anti-corruption and the judiciary, which are the bedrock of the enlargement process. I am confident that, over the next six months, Ireland and Albania will successfully work to secure significant progress in Albania's accession process."

ENDS

Press Release

25 June 2026

Negotiating chapters are divided in six thematic clusters: fundamentals; internal market; competitiveness and inclusive growth; green agenda and sustainable connectivity; resources, agriculture and cohesion; and external relations.

Under the EU enlargement methodology, chapters 23 and 24 are part of Cluster 1, which covers fundamentals.

Rule of Law interim benchmarks are specific requirements that candidate countries must fulfil with regard to judicial reform and fundamental rights before closing EU accession chapters.