National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania Workshop: Opening Cluster I – Fundamentals and Active Inclusion of Civil Society in the Negotiation Process, 4 October 2024

On October 4, 2024, a workshop titled “Opening Cluster I – Fundamentals and Active Inclusion of Civil Society in the Negotiation Process” was held at the Tirana International Hotel. This event was organised within the framework of the National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania, supported by the European Union and implemented by Partners Albania for Change and Development in collaboration with the European Movement in Albania (EMA) and the Albanian Center for Population and Development (ACDP). The central focus of this workshop was to examine the developments and events pertinent to the Second Intergovernmental Conference with the EU, the upcoming 10th Berlin Process Summit on October 14, and the anticipated presentation of the EU enlargement package for the Western Balkans, expected to be introduced at the end of this year, in conjunction with the European Commission’s annual reports.

Nirvana Deliu, Policy Researcher at the European Movement in Albania, started her opening remarks by presenting the activities of the National Resource Center for Civil Society, as well as the objectives and significance of the workshop. At the end of her speech, each participant of the workshop, from the civil society sector, academia, the private sector, and state institutions, presented his profile. Their high interest and expectations to acquire more knowledge about the entire integration process were in line with all the presentations and discussions, and they actively engaged during the workshop.

Integration Expert, Anila Dollani, commenced with a brief overview of the history of the European Union and key milestones that have marked the development of the union. She continued by addressing Albania’s progress in the EU accession process, elaborating on the New Enlargement Methodology presented by the European Commission as a means to improve the integration process and enhance the engagement and inclusion of member states in this process. She highlighted four main pillars of this methodology, and emphasised that it allows for the possibility of reversibility in the membership process through the suspension or reversal of the course of negotiations. Such scenarios may occur in cases of serious violations of EU values by the candidate country or prolonged stagnation in a membership chapter. Albania’s challenge in this situation lies in ensuring the sustainability of the integration process, maintaining a functional democracy, upholding the rule of law, fostering good neighbourly relations, and enhancing institutional capacities.

In the second session, Dollani focused on the New Growth Plan, a new initiative from the EU for the Western Balkans, which aims to double the region’s economy, thereby accelerating the accession process for the Western Balkans and reducing the economic gap. Attention then shifted to another significant issue – the Berlin Process Summit, where remarkable achievements have been made in five areas of regional cooperation, namely economic, political, security policies, social, and ecological. Additionally, Dollani shared further details regarding the screening process, which consists of two phases, involving 14 months of commitment from Albania with 777 meetings in total; the involvement of 157 institutions, 1,800 public administration employees, 346 coordinating meetings, and 126 preliminary exercises.

Afterwards, Deliu informed the participants about the Partnership Platform for European Integration, emphasising the importance of civil society organisations’ inclusion and other non-state actors in the integration process. Deliu noted that these actors can play a monitoring and advisory role, contributing to the smooth progress of the process from the institutions they have access to. In this context, Deliu explained that one way to achieve effective inclusion is through participation in the Discussion and Consultation Roundtables of PPEI. She highlighted that these roundtables provide an opportunity for civil society actors to share and receive information about their areas of expertise and interest, while also explaining the operational mechanisms of these roundtables.

The participants had questions and engaged in discussions about the materials presented, exploring how their organisations could contribute to the integration process. The discussion concluded with an exchange of ideas for collaboration, expressions of interest, and recommendations regarding their perceptions of broader engagement from civil society and other non-state actors.