Albania’s EU Accession, Beyond the Enthusiasm

Albania’s rapid progress in the negotiations for accession to the European Union is generating a climate of growing enthusiasm within the institutions in Brussels. Since October, the country has opened 24 out of 33 negotiating chapters and has earned the label of “frontrunner” among the countries aspiring to join the EU.

However, it is precisely this enthusiasm that risks obscuring the fact that the road ahead for Tirana remains entirely uphill and that, behind the appearances and high-sounding headlines, serious problems persist that require significant reform efforts.

Federico Baccini’s article on OBCT.