Accession of Albania to the European Union

Albania

Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...

applied for European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

membership on 28 April 2009 and is expected to join in 2015. Officially recognized by the EU as a "potential candidate country", Albania started negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) in 2003. This was successfully agreed and signed on 12 June 2006, thus completing the first major step toward Albania's full membership in the EU.

Following the steps of the recently admitted Eastern European countries in 2004

2004 enlargement of the European Union

The 2004 enlargement of the European Union was the largest single expansion of the European Union , both in terms of territory, number of states and population, however not in terms of gross domestic product...

, Albania has been extensively engaged with EU institutions, and joined NATO as a full member in 2009. It has also maintained its position as a stability factor and a strong ally of Western Europe

Western Europe

Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

in the troubled and divided region of the Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...

.

Following its application for EU membership, the Council of the European Union

Council of the European Union

The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...

asked the European Commission

European Commission

The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

on 16 November 2009 to prepare an assessment on the readiness of Albania to start accession negotiations, a step in the accession process that usually takes about a year. On December 16, 2009 the European Commission submitted the Questionnaire on accession preparation to the Albanian government. Albania returned answers to them on April 14, 2010.
Candidacy status was not recognized by the EU along with Montenegro in December 2010, due to the long-lasting political row in the country.

Chronology of the relations with the European Union

Date	Event
1992	Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the EU and Albania. Albania becomes eligible for funding under the EU Phare programme.
1997	Regional Approach. The EU Council of Ministers establishes political and economic conditionality for the development of bilateral relations.
1999	The EU proposes the new Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP) for five countries of South-Eastern Europe, including Albania.
1999	Albania benefits from Autonomous Trade Preferences with the EU.
2000	Extension of duty-free access to EU market for products from Albania.
June 2000	Feira European Council (June 2000) states that all the SAP countries are "potential candidates" for EU membership.
November 2000	at Zagreb Summit (November), the SAP is officially endorsed by the EU and the Western Balkan countries (including Albania).
2001	First year of the new CARDS programme specifically designed for the SAP countries
June 2001	The Commission recommends the undertaking of negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Albania. The Göteborg European Council (June 2001) invites the Commission to present draft negotiating directives for the negotiation of a SAA.
2002	Negotiating Directives for the negotiation of a SAA with Albania are adopted in October.
31 January 2003	On 31 January, Commission President Prodi officially launches the negotiations for a SAA between the EU and Albania.
June 2003	at Thessaloniki Summit (June), the SAP is confirmed as the EU policy for the Western Balkans. The EU perspective for these countries is confirmed (countries participating in the SAP are eligible for EU accession and may join the EU once they are ready).
December 2005	Council decision on the principles of a revised European Partnership for Albania.
12 June 2006	The SAA was signed at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg.
9 November 2006	The European Commission decided to start visa facilitation negotiations with Albania.
13 April 2007	The visa facilitation agreement was signed in Zagreb. The signing EU Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission .... Franco Frattini was quoted saying that this is the first step toward a full abolishment of the visa requirements and the free movement of the Albanian citizens in the EU.
1 January 2008	The visa facilitation agreement entered into force.
7 March 2008	EU Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission .... Franco Frattini opened in Tirana Tirana Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over... the dialogue toward the liberalisation of the visa regime between Albania Albania Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea... and EU.
14 January 2009	The SAA ratification process by all the member states was completed.
1 April 2009	The SAA entered into force.
28 April 2009	Albania formally applied for membership in the European Union.
16 November 2009	The Council of the EU asked the European Commission to prepare an assessment on Albania's readiness to start accession negotiations.
16 December 2009	The European Commission submitted the Questionnaire on accession preparation to the Albanian government.
14 April 2010	Albania submitted answers to the European Commission's Questionnaire.
27 May 2010	The European Commission proposed visa free travel for Albania. The adopted proposal will enable citizens of Albania to travel to Schengen countries without needing a short term visa.
8 November 2010	Council of the European Union Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers... approved visa-free travel to Schengen Area Schengen Area The Schengen Area comprises the territories of twenty-five European countries that have implemented the Schengen Agreement signed in the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, in 1985... for Albanian citizens.
15 December 2010	Visa-free access to the Schengen area enters into force.

Chronology of the relations with the European Union

State of Stabilisation and Association Agreement ratification

Further reading