Discussion Forum – Potential and Challenge of Integration in a troubled Europe, 21 June 2025, Berat

On June 21, 2025, in Berat, the European Movement Albania, in cooperation with the Academy of Political Studies, organized a Discussion Forum with civil society representatives, activists, professionals, and youth to discuss the EU enlargement process, its challenges and opportunities, also influenced by geopolitical changes and uncertainties arising from international conflicts and disputes.

Erjon Tase, Executive Director of the Academy of Political Studies, in his opening remarks emphasized that the integration of Albania, as well as the entire Western Balkans region into the European Union, remains a long-standing objective and dream. Despite challenges and issues, recently there has been a revitalization of the process both from the EU side and from the countries of the region to advance reforms and fulfil the required criteria. Tase stated that enlargement has gained more attention from the EU, especially after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, making it clear that integrating more countries into the EU is in the Union’s interest as it strengthens and increases its influence.

Pavol Zilincik shared with participants his experience in Slovakia’s integration process, as well as in Ukraine, where in recent years he has been engaged in justice reform. By analysing fundamental issues such as justice, the rule of law, democracy, and the respect for human rights, he emphasized that countries like Slovakia, Ukraine, and Albania, although in different phases, have much to learn from and share with each other. For him, it is important to understand that reforms such as justice reform in Albania, or those in Slovakia and Ukraine, must be essential and transformative, not merely instrumental or superficial – where not only laws and institutions change, but also concepts, values, and the culture of the people involved. Only in this way, he argued, can reforms achieve the expected results and positive impact. Zilincik stated that the rule of law, justice, and human rights protection are fundamental, but they are not untouchable. Even EU member states today face crises and challenges in these areas, thus it is necessary to have monitoring and oversight mechanisms, and, according to him, most importantly: the internalization of these values and principles, ensuring they are not merely written on paper but become part of people’s actions and culture.

Nirvana Deliu, Project Director at the European Movement Albania, presented a historical overview of the EU enlargement phases, analysing how enlargement policy has changed over the years and how external factors have influenced its acceleration or slowdown – such as Brexit or the 2015 refugee crisis, which diverted attention away from enlargement, or the conflict in Ukraine, which has accelerated and intensified it. Deliu highlighted that all these make the process dynamic and unpredictable. Nevertheless, she underlined that candidate and aspirant countries must work to achieve standards and fulfil the criteria by undertaking political, legal, and economic reforms. She further emphasized that today’s enlargement process is very different from that of Croatia or other countries already in the EU, as the monitoring and control mechanisms from the European Commission and the role of Member States are stricter, more targeted, and more structured, making the process more challenging and demanding.

The meeting continued with discussions and comments from participants, who showed particular interest in the justice reform being implemented in Albania, critically and objectively assessing its achievements as well as existing challenges. They shared questions and experiences with the experts on how these reforms were implemented in Slovakia and are being implemented in Ukraine, and what lessons can be learned to avoid repeating mistakes in Albania’s case. Additionally, the discussion focused on Albania’s integration process, analysing the dilemma of speed versus quality in this process, and assessing the realistic chances for Albania to become an EU member state by 2030.

*This discussion forum takes place within the framework of the “Building Partnership on Fundamentals: Empowered CSOs in the EU  accession process” project, with the financial support of the European Union – IPA Civil Society Facility 2021, which is implemented by the European Movement in Albania and in cooperation with the Academy of European Integration and Negotiations (AIEN), Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA) and the Center for Transparency and Freedom of Information (CTFI).