Albania and the European Union return to the negotiating table in Luxembourg today, where the tenth Intergovernmental Conference on accession will be held. According to the agenda published by the Council of the EU, delegations are expected to arrive at 17:30. The official photo is scheduled for 17:50, while the round table discussion will begin at 18:00. The conference will take place at 18:15. The Albanian delegation is expected to be led by Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The meeting will focus on the provisional closure of negotiations on Chapter 20, which deals with entrepreneurship and industrial policy. This chapter covers policies for business and industry development, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and increasing the competitiveness of the economy. This is the next step in the negotiation process, after on 14 July Albania and the EU provisionally closed negotiations on Chapter 25, Science and Research, Chapter 26, Education and Culture, and Chapter 30, External Relations.
Albania has now opened all 33 negotiating chapters, while the process has entered the phase of provisional closures. These closures are not final, as the agreement on each chapter remains conditional until the full conclusion of the accession negotiations.
