The EU called the realistically joining Albania by 2030 and allocated funds for Corridor No. 8

Albania’s accession to the European Union until 2030 can be a realistic goal if the necessary reforms are being made, EU High Representative Kaya Kalas said at a press conference in Tirana, the Albanian Radio Europe Albanian edited.

According to her, the rule of law in Albania is extremely important because the rule of law is at the foundations of the European Union.

At a joint press conference with Callas, Albanian Prime Minister Eddie Rama said that Albania’s joining the EU Susus joining was the focus of their conversations. He expressed Albania’s ambition to end the joining negotiations by 2027.

« We have a coordinated plan with the EU for the completion of the negotiations in 2027, which means that at the time of their completion (European) committee, it recommends that the Member States of Albania’s membership be approved.

Rama said that a two -year ratification period is then planned, which should end with the country’s accession to the block.

According to Albanian Prime Minister, the fact that Albania has fully coordinated its foreign policy with that of the EU will help this process.

Albania has officially launched EU membership talks on October 15, 2024, Radio Free Europe recalls. The state opened the negotiation chapters after a long wait, as it applied for membership in 2009 and received a status of a party to join the block in 2014.

Kalas and Rama talked about the importance of stability in the region, emphasizing the need to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

During Kalas’s visit to Tirana, an agreement worth 90 million euros was signed to finance the strategic project for the Durres – Rogozhina railway line, which is part of Corridor 8, connecting southern Italy with the Black Sea through Albania and the Republic of Northern Macedonia.

According to the Albanian prime minister, this section is a key artery that will « connect Albania with the European Transport Network and further strengthen the role » as a connecting knot in the region.

The project for the railway line between the Albanian coastal city of Durres and the town of Rogozhina in Central Albania is part of the restoration of the railway infrastructure in the country. Albania’s rail network is outdated and has not been investing in its commissioning, the media recalls. Almost everywhere the maximum speed at which trains are moving on it is 60 km/h.

The section is part of a 136 km long line that reaches the border with the Republic of Northern Macedonia, where it is envisaged to build another 2.8-kilometer segment for the implementation of a cross-border railway line between the two countries.

Kalas’s visit to Tirana has been the first since she took over the post of EU foreign policy and security, part of her tour of the Western Balkans between April 7 and 9. Yesterday, she visited Montenegro, expecting the last stop during her visit to be Bosnia and Herzegovina.