The final five chapters, including agriculture and regional policy, were opened on Monday. This means that Albania has opened all 33 chapters in just over 13 months – something that took, for example, almost twelve years for neighboring Montenegro.
The latter country is still ahead in the race to become the next EU member state. According to the Commission's latest enlargement report, Montenegro is expected to be able to conclude its negotiations in 2026 and Albania in 2027.
