Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) in Albania: Assessing Albania’s Needs for Support to Chapter 27 Negotiations

Albania is actively working to meet the requirements for EU accession negotiations under the accelerated EU accession methodology, which calls for swift and determined action to align with EU standards and legislation. In this context, the Albanian government has committed to closing accession negotiations by 2027 and becoming an EU Member State by January 2030.

The FFM Albania project is designed to support Albania in advancing toward EU accession negotiations. Specifically, it aims to assess Albania’s readiness for negotiations- evaluating the country’s alignment with and capacity to implement the EU acquis in Chapter 27 – Environment and Climate Change, part of Cluster 4 of the EU acquis – Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity.

The primary beneficiaries of the project are the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the National Environmental Agency.

The project will last for five months and will deliver two key outputs:

• FFM Report – analyzing Albania’s readiness for negotiations under Chapter 27, in terms of alignment and implementation capacity regarding the EU acquis.
• Project Document – aiming to support the Government of Albania in approximating Chapter 27 following the opening of negotiations under Cluster 4.

By analyzing the current level of alignment with Chapter 27, the project lays the groundwork to support the Government of Albania in its next steps toward opening – and ultimately closing -negotiations on this important and complex chapter.