The EU’s new enlargement plan – the Prime Minister’s Office reacts: Albania consolidates its position among the frontrunner countries, the reform roadmap is confirmed

The European Commission today formalised the “Policy Reviews ahead of Enlargement”, setting out the framework of internal institutional reforms, governance and safeguard mechanisms that will accompany the next wave of enlargement of the European Union.

The Prime Minister’s Office has reacted to this important development for Albania, explaining and arguing that:

“This strategic document comes after the recent visit to Tirana of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and consolidates Albania’s position as one of the frontrunner countries in the enlargement process.

The document confirms that the EU’s internal reforms and the progress of the candidate countries will move in parallel, providing for the inclusion of a specific roadmap for Albania’s membership in the 2026 Enlargement Package.

The comprehensive review stresses that the European Union’s existing policies do not require a complete structural reconceptualisation in order to include new members.

The EU is implementing the principle of “Integration by Design”, incorporating enlargement scenarios from the very stage of drafting future policies and the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034.

This approach aims to preserve the Union’s ability to act and to strengthen the role of enlargement in guaranteeing European security and stability.

At the focus of the document are three main reform elements:

Firstly, the review of the Article 7 mechanism for very serious breaches of the rule of law. Instead of the current threshold of four-fifths of the members for suspending the right to vote in the Council, the European Commission proposes the application of a “reverse qualified majority” (Reverse QMV). Under this mechanism, the Commission’s decision to impose sanctions would enter into force automatically, except where the member states form the necessary majority to overturn it. The aim is for the protection of European values to become more efficient and the mechanism easier to apply.

Secondly, the establishment of strict financial safeguards. The document proposes freezing or limiting new Union funds in cases where a member or candidate country breaches the commitments undertaken or does not respect the principles of the rule of law.

Thirdly, the setting of rules for the rights of new members. Countries that join will enjoy rights fully equal to those of the current 27 members, including the right to have a commissioner and the right of veto in decision-making.

Provision is made, however, for the possibility that new members may voluntarily commit not to use the veto on issues relating to bilateral disputes in the context of enlargement, preventing the process from being blocked because of those disputes.

The new framework also supports the merit-based model of “Gradual Integration”, which enables Albania progressive access to key EU sectors and programmes before full membership. This model provides for accelerated integration in areas such as cybersecurity, military mobility, the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and trans-European energy networks, bringing tangible economic and infrastructure benefits.

The European Commission’s document values strategic support for enlargement as an investment with benefits relative to the costs for EU citizens. It stresses that bringing closer the countries that have advanced most in the process, such as Montenegro and Albania, will contribute to strengthening security and stability through the expansion of the European market and space.

This policy review constitutes a strong political signal of the European Union’s support for Albania’s progress towards the strategic objective “Albania 2030”.

Reforms and national consensus remain essential for membership in the European family.

Albania is fully determined to continue the work with the same will and commitment to fulfil all the criteria and to realise the historic mission of full membership in the European Union within this decade”.