The European Commission published this Wednesday the 2026 Progress Report on Albania, which, alongside problems in functioning, also highlights a series of positive assessments of the country. The report stresses that Albania has met the interim benchmarks required by the European Union in the group of negotiating chapters linked to fundamental issues, including the judiciary, fundamental rights and the functioning of democratic institutions.
“The Albanian authorities maintained their firm commitment to the strategic goal of European Union integration as the country’s main priority, with the aim of closing all negotiating chapters by the end of 2027. Maintaining this pace will require the rapid implementation of quality reforms linked to the EU,” the document states. The European Commission assesses progress in justice reform, the completion of the vetting process for judges and prosecutors, as well as the results of SPAK in fighting high-level corruption. There are also positive assessments of the fight against organised crime, economic performance, the growth of tourism and other sectors such as energy, education, customs and financial services.
Regarding the economy, the Commission notes that Albania maintained strong growth during 2025, supported by domestic demand and tourism. The latter also contributed to reducing the current account deficit to its lowest historical level. The report also highlights the decrease in the public debt ratio, improvements in the labour market and the resilience of the banking sector. In the field of justice, the Commission welcomes the completion of the reassessment process for judges and prosecutors, stressing that this process has strengthened the independence, accountability and integrity of the judicial system. SPAK is praised for its independence and concrete results in investigating high-level corruption.
The report also highlights progress in the fight against organised crime, particularly in developing the investigative capacities of the prosecution, the fight against money laundering and international cooperation. There are also positive assessments in energy, education and culture, customs, the free movement of capital, company law, intellectual property and policies for enterprises and industry, sectors in which Albania is assessed as having a good level of preparation.
However, beyond these assessments, the Commission points to problems in the functioning of democratic institutions, political interference in justice, corruption and media freedom. The European Commission published this Wednesday, 4 November, the 2026 Progress Report on Albania, in which it assesses progress in the European integration process but highlights problems in the functioning of democratic institutions, political interference in justice, corruption and media freedom. The report stresses that Albania has met the interim benchmarks required by the European Union in the group of negotiating chapters linked to fundamental issues, including the judiciary, fundamental rights and the functioning of democratic institutions
“Albanian authorities upheld their firm commitment to the strategic goal of EU integration as the country’s main priority, with the aim of closing all negotiation chapters by the end of 2027. Maintaining this pace will require the rapid implementation of quality reforms linked to the EU,” the document states.
Regarding the functioning of democracy, the European Commission notes that the lack of genuine political dialogue and clashes between the majority and the opposition have continued to limit the effectiveness of Parliament. “The lack of genuine political dialogue and public consultation activities, as well as clashes between the governing majority and the opposition, continued to limit its effectiveness. Parliament also did not implement some decisions of the Constitutional Court,” the report stresses.
The Commission also highlights the systematic rejection of opposition requests to set up inquiry committees, as well as the politicisation of appointments to constitutional bodies and independent institutions. “The frequent submission of legislative initiatives by the Council of Ministers, the systematic rejection of opposition requests to establish inquiry committees, and the politicisation of appointments to constitutional bodies or independent institutions all contributed to limiting parliamentary oversight of the government,” the report states.
The document urgently calls for comprehensive electoral reform, particularly ahead of the 2027 local elections. “The legal and institutional framework on elections is generally adequate. However, several long-standing recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission remain unaddressed. A comprehensive electoral reform is urgently needed, particularly ahead of the 2027 local elections,” the Commission assesses.
Part of the report is also devoted to the civic protests that began in May 2026 and the student protests of October. “This is the largest civic mobilisation in Albania since the country’s democratic transition, with tens of thousands of participants joining the protest at its peak. Building on the civic movement, student-led protests took place in October 2026, during which violent incidents occurred between protesters and the Albanian State Police. To date, no dialogue has taken place. All parties must make sincere efforts to engage in constructive dialogue,” the document states.
Regarding the justice system, the European Commission assesses the progress made with the 2016 reform and the completion of the vetting process for judges and prosecutors. “Albania continued implementing the 2016 justice reform. The transitional re-evaluation process for all judges and prosecutors was fully completed after the appeals phase concluded, further strengthening independence, accountability and integrity in the justice sector,” the report states. However, the Commission raises concerns about efforts by public officials and politicians to exert undue influence over the judicial system. “Efforts by public officials or politicians to exert inappropriate influence over the judicial system, including the SPAK, as well as personal attacks against magistrates, continued during the reporting period,” the document stresses.
Meanwhile, SPAK is commended for its results in the fight against high-level corruption. “The Special Structure against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) has continued to demonstrate independence and deliver positive results in the fight against high-level corruption, making tangible progress towards building a sustained track record of results in the fight against corruption,” the report states. However, the Commission stresses that corruption remains a real challenge for Albania. “The real impact of these and other preventive anti-corruption measures remains to be demonstrated, given the ongoing investigations into high-level corruption,” the document states.
The Commission also calls for strengthening investigations, prosecutions and trials, and for securing more final convictions. “To further strengthen and consolidate results in the investigation, prosecution and trial of corruption cases and to secure more final convictions, especially in high-profile cases,” is one of the recommendations. Criticism also extends to media freedom. According to the report, Albania offers insufficient legal guarantees for freedom of expression. “Albania offers insufficient legal guarantees for freedom of expression, while the environment in which media operate needs to improve so that they can work freely, independently and professionally,” the Commission assesses.
The report also highlights the impact of political and economic ties on media independence. “Media independence and pluralism continue to be affected by the economic penetration of the media market by business groups with political ties, and by the intertwining of political, business and other interests, lack of transparency of funding sources, high concentration of media ownership, as well as intimidation and denigration campaigns, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) and precarious working conditions for journalists,” the report states. In the field of public administration, Albania is assessed as moderately prepared, while the Commission criticises the government’s use of normative acts for budgetary changes.
“However, the government continued to adopt budget revisions through normative acts, without parliamentary oversight. Public consultations were not conducted regularly or effectively, and were not followed by appropriate actions,” the document stresses. Regarding fundamental rights, the Commission highlights problems in prison conditions, property rights and the protection of minorities. “The pace of progress in prison reform has not been in line with the required level of ambition, and conditions within penitentiary institutions continue to require careful attention. The effective enjoyment of property rights and of the rights of persons belonging to minorities must be improved,” the report says.
The Commission also calls for the completion of the initial land registration, the digitalisation of property titles and cadastral maps, as well as the acceleration of the process of compensating properties confiscated during the communist regime. On the Growth Plan for the European Union, the Commission finds that Albania has met 33 of the 66 steps that were to be completed by December 2025. “So far, the Commission has concluded that Albania has met 33 of the 66 steps that were to be completed by December 2025. Albania has also made considerable progress in most of the other steps,” the document says. Under the Reform and Growth Facility, Albania has at its disposal over 920 million euros in grants and loans. /TCH/”