On 10 June 2026, the European Parliament's plenary published amendments to the annual report on Albania, with the European People's Party (EPP) group proposing targeted changes to strengthen minority property rights and add caution on customs modernisation. The amendments, filed by MEPs Andrey Kovatchev, Vangelis Meimarakis, and Fredis Beleris, focus on two specific areas of the report by rapporteur Andreas Schieder.
The EPP's Amendment 15 calls on Albania to "ensure the protection of the right of property" for the Greek national minority, elevating property rights from an implicit concern to an explicit condition. This reflects unresolved restitution or ownership claims in southern Albania, where the Greek minority is concentrated. The amendment adds a new paragraph to the report's section on fundamental rights, signalling that property restitution remains a benchmark for EU accession progress.
Amendment 16 introduces a critical note on customs modernisation, stating that "customs IT systems require significant upgrading in order to achieve full harmonisation." This shifts the tone from welcoming progress to acknowledging a substantial gap, implying that current efforts are insufficient for meeting EU standards. The amendment targets the report's assessment of Albania's alignment with the EU acquis on customs and border controls.
As only the EPP group has submitted amendments in this document, a comparison of group positions is not possible. The EPP's stance is clear: they seek to reinforce the protection of the Greek minority's property rights and to temper the positive assessment of customs system modernisation with a demand for more significant upgrades.
The amendments will be voted on during the plenary session, alongside the full report. The final text will feed into the European Parliament's position on Albania's EU accession process, which is closely watched by the European Commission and EU member states. The report is part of the Parliament's annual scrutiny of candidate countries, with Albania having opened accession negotiations in 2022.
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