According to the same sources cited by Euronews Albania journalist Eksiola Shehu, the Intergovernmental Conference is expected to take place on May 26.

Meanwhile, tomorrow the Interim Benchmark Assessment Report, known as IBAR, is expected to move to the COREPER working group of ambassadors from the 27 EU member states. Its approval is seen as an important step that paves the way for further advancement in the negotiation process, including the phase of beginning the closure of accession chapters.

The Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR) is a technical document of the European Commission that evaluates the progress of a candidate country in meeting the criteria required for opening negotiation chapters with the European Union.

At this stage, the IBAR serves as an initial institutional “screening” to determine whether Albania has fulfilled the minimum conditions to proceed to more advanced steps in the integration process.

COREPER is the body that prepares decisions for the Council of the European Union and plays a key role in the political screening of dossiers before they are formally approved, while COELA is the working group responsible for enlargement matters and the technical coordination of negotiations with candidate countries.