News - Belgium, Brussels, Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria

Ambassador Rumen Alexandrov represented Bulgaria at the VIII Intergovernmental Conference on the Accession of  Albania to the EU, held on 26 May in Brussels.

During the meeting, the fulfilment by Albania of the interim benchmarks under Cluster 1 “Fundamentals” was confirmed, and closing benchmarks were set for Chapter 23 “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights” and Chapter 24 “Justice, Freedom and Security”. This marked an important step on the country’s path towards membership in the European Union, as it opens the possibility for Albania to begin closing negotiating clusters.

“We congratulate Albania on the progress achieved, as well as on its political determination and motivation to advance along the path of reforms, which ultimately benefit its citizens. We encourage Albania to pay particular attention to the protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities. Bulgaria remains fully committed to supporting Tirana’s efforts to join the European Union, based on the principle of own merits,” Ambassador Alexandrov stated.