Albania’s Scorecard on Progress and Level of Preparation regarding EU accession during 2021, October 2022

The European Commission (EC) monitors Albania ̍s progress and level of preparation in meeting EU membership requirements on an annual basis. The country is working on the transposition of the Acquis according to the National Plan on European Integration Plan (NPEI), which serves as a tool for fulfilling the obligations arising from the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). The organization of the First Intergovernmental Conference on July 19, 2022 was considered a huge milestone for our country as it embodies the technical aspect of the EU integration process. The conference paved the way for the approval of the negotiation framework drawn up by the European Commission and the work has started for the opening of the chapters of the First Cluster, also known as “Fundamentals”.

This Scorecard on Albania ̍s Progress and Level of Preparation towards EU membership takes as its starting point the situation described in the EC 2021 Country Report and reflects the development throughout the year crystallized in the EC 2022 Country Report. It aims to display in a more simplified way 1) the Political Criteria 2) Chapter 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 3) Chapter 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security). The Scorecard presents an assessment concerning the main fields of each chapter. The evaluation includes an elaboration on the progress and the preparation during the 2021 on  each area, as well as a graded assessment ( where 10 is the highest grade and 4 the lowest), taking into account the terminology used on each case in the European Commission Reports for the progress and level of preparation.

Furthermore, it considers the frequency and the relevance of the issue (new legal initiatives or strategies are generally viewed as more important than routine trainings). Particular attention has been drawn to the evaluation of the implementation of the legislation as one of the most important problems that our country faces. The methodology applied by EMA constitutes a snapshot of several components that shape a subfield, field and then chapter.

This study was prepared by the European Movement in Albania (EMA) research team in the framework of the project “National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania”, with the financial support of the European Union through the Delegation of the European Union in Albania. The information and views expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union.

Scorecard for Political Criteria

Scorecard for Chapter 23

Scorecard for Chapter 24