The European Union and Albania held two annual monitoring meetings in Tirana on 9 and 10 June to assess progress under the Reform and Growth Facility (RGF) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). Co-chaired by Eridana Çano, National IPA Coordinator and RGF National Coordinator, and Sigrid Brettel, Head of Unit at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), the meetings reviewed achievements, discussed challenges, and set priorities for the year ahead.
Since the RGF's launch in 2024, Albania has completed 21 of 41 reform steps in the first reporting period and 12 of 21 in the second. Based on this progress, the EU has disbursed EUR 213 million in three instalments from the total allocation of EUR 922 million, making Albania one of the top performers among the Western Balkans. The Reform Agenda covers five priority areas: business environment, human capital, energy, digital transformation and infrastructure, and rule of law.
Deputy Prime Minister Albana Koçiu reaffirmed Albania's commitment, stating that the RGF is a vehicle for deep structural change and that the upcoming July 2026 report submission is a decisive inflection point. Sigrid Brettel welcomed Albania's strong performance while encouraging continued momentum, noting that the next reporting period will be critical and that the European Commission will reward the best performing Western Balkan countries with additional funds.
The annual IPA Monitoring Committee reviewed around 150 ongoing EU-funded projects supporting accession-related reforms. Since 2007, the EU has provided over EUR 1.9 billion in grants to Albania, which, together with Western Balkans Investment Framework investments, has leveraged an estimated EUR 4.7 billion since 2008. The Committee welcomed new projects in anti-corruption, environment, local governance, and food safety, and noted the adoption of EUR 100 million under the IPA 2025–2027 programme to support reforms in rule of law, democracy, justice, human rights, good governance, and critical raw materials.
Discussions highlighted the need to accelerate implementation of major programmes worth EUR 130 million in digital transformation, energy efficiency, and youth employment, linked to a closing benchmark under Chapter 22 of accession negotiations. Areas requiring further attention include administrative capacity, staffing and retention, contracting procedures, coordination of investment projects, and strengthening financial management, audit, and control systems.
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