On 2 April 2025, in the Albanologija Hall of the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, at the meeting of the Inter-Institutional Group for European Integration (GNPIE) for Chapter 22, dedicated to regional policies and coordination of EU structural instruments. This meeting brought together, together with members of key Albanian entities and international partners from the EU Delegation to Albania, the technical assistance project for Chapter 22 in Albania, the technical assistance project EU4GoodGovernance and the Swiss project “Strong Municipalities”.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, the Minister of State for Local Government and at the same time negotiator for Chapter 22, Mr. Arbjan Mazniku, emphasized that Albania is at a crucial moment in its journey towards the European Union, thanks to the good work done so far by each of them present to consider the negotiating positions and to advance the integration process.

Following this, Mr. Hubert Perr, Director of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Albania, in his speech reconfirmed the EU’s continued support through technical assistance projects and the Growth Plan, from which Albania will benefit from a significant amount of 922 million euros. He also stressed that Albania will also benefit from IPA assistance funds to enable the integration and programming process to continue successfully.

Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Andi Memeti, who has recently been appointed as the National Authorized Authority (NAO), stressed the importance of ensuring high standards of financial control and fund management in line with EU best practices.

Following the meeting, the Technical Secretariat presented the Screening Report sent by the European Commission for the part of Chapter 22, highlighting the progress achieved and the issues that remain to be addressed.

EU technical assistance experts, Ms. Valeria Valeri and Ms. Victoria Primhak, shared updates on the Action Plan as well as the self-assessment reports of the responsible institutions regarding the fulfillment of the enabling conditions for this chapter. Part of the discussions was also the planning of GNPIE activities for the period May-July 2025, with the aim of intensifying inter-institutional work in this important phase of the process.

The meeting served as an important platform to discuss progress, challenges and priorities to be addressed going forward. All participants committed to close cooperation and sustainable inter-institutional coordination to ensure that Albania successfully fulfills the requirements of Chapter 22. This commitment represents an important step towards the country’s membership in the European Union and the consolidation of good governance and the effective use of European funds.