Albania has said it never wanted the right to veto European Union decisions, even as it moves into the closing phase of its long-running membership negotiations.
Prime Minister Edi Rama made the comments in Brussels at the eighth Intergovernmental Conference between Albania and the EU, held on May 26.
He said his country had always been fully aligned with the bloc’s foreign policy and, as one of the most pro-European states in the region, had never sought a veto.
“We are EU fanatics, and EU fanatics cannot place a veto on EU decisions,” Rama said.
The conference confirmed that Albania had met the interim benchmarks under the “Fundamentals” cluster, which covers the judiciary, fundamental rights, justice and public administration reform.
It also set the closing benchmarks for that cluster, opening what the European Commission has called the concluding stage of the talks.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos took part in the meeting, alongside a delegation led by Marilena Raouna, deputy minister for European affairs of Cyprus.
Albania applied to join the EU in 2009 and was given candidate status in 2014. Accession talks formally began in July 2022, and all negotiating clusters had been opened by 2025.
Rama said he wanted the negotiations finalised within two years and Albania to become a full member by 2030.
The remarks on the veto follow a proposal he put forward in March. In a joint article in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Rama and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called for their countries to join the EU single market and the Schengen area without veto rights, European commissioners or members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
The European Commission and member states rejected the idea, arguing that full membership should carry full rights.
Concerns about the rule of law and corruption have continued to shadow Albania’s bid. The European Parliament has tabled dozens of amendments on the issue, while several member states had earlier blocked a key progress report over the independence of the judiciary.
Rama has dismissed much of the criticism. He told reporters that Albania accepted partnership and support but would not take lessons from anyone on fighting corruption.
The next step will see Albanian negotiators attempt to close individual chapters, with both sides aiming to wrap up the process by 2027.
