TIRANA, June 11 – The European Union and the Albanian government held annual monitoring meetings in Tirana on June 9 and 10. Participants reviewed the implementation of European Union financial assistance and assessed progress on key reform programmes.
Officials examined support provided through the Reform and Growth Facility and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance. Both programmes play an important role in Albania’s European Union accession process.
The review of the Reform and Growth Facility focused on Albania’s Reform Agenda under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. Discussions covered the business environment, human capital, energy, digital transformation, infrastructure and the rule of law.
Since the programme began in 2024, Albania has completed 21 of 41 reform steps during the first reporting period. The country also completed 12 of 21 reform steps during the second reporting period. As a result, the European Union has disbursed EUR 213 million in three instalments from a total allocation of EUR 922 million. This performance places Albania among the best-performing countries in the Western Balkans.
Meanwhile, the European Commission encouraged Albania to maintain the pace of reforms. Officials noted that continued progress could create opportunities for additional performance-based funding.
A separate monitoring session examined around 150 European Union-funded projects linked to Albania’s accession preparations. Since 2007, the bloc has provided more than EUR 1.9 billion in grants to Albania. In addition, support through the Western Balkans Investment Framework has helped mobilise around EUR 4.7 billion in investments since 2008.
Discussions also highlighted the need to accelerate programmes in digital transformation, energy efficiency and youth employment. Participants linked successful implementation to Albania’s broader accession objectives.
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