EU should open membership talks with Albania – EP President

comments came after meeting with Albanian prime minister Edi Rama and ahead of an upcoming EU Council meeting.

Albania is currently a member state candidate but would like to see membership talks begin. In announcing that he would soon be paying a visit to Albania, Schulz underscored the need to keep Balkan nations ''as close as possible'' to the EU. He added that EU leaders should signal that dialogue continues on the basis of mutual trust and collaboration.

Rama said that he was ''convinced that Albania will continue to set an example on all the fronts'' demanded by the EU, including rule of law and measures against corruption and organized crime, as well as ''modernization in all sectors''. He added that the country wanted to step up relations in the European Parliament,''including in terms of expertise''.

(ANSAmed).