The EU's permanent representatives in Brussels have unanimously decided to open accession negotiations with Albania. The process will start on 15 October with an EU-Albania intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg. Cluster 1 of the negotiating chapters on "fundamental issues" will then be opened. This will separate Albania from North Macedonia in the integration process. The last obstacle to the start of negotiations was a dispute between Albania and Greece over the arrest and conviction of ethnic Greek politician Fredi Beleri in the Albanian municipality of Himare. Beleri was arrested in May 2023 during a mayoral election campaign in his home town of Himare. He subsequently won the election, but was never sworn in as he was remanded in custody. In March of that year, he was sentenced to two years in prison for election fraud. He was released on 3 September 2024, having served 2/3 of his sentence, BGNES recalls. "This is good news for Albania, but a step backwards for the Republic of North Macedonia, which has again failed to take a decisive step towards EU accession," Euractiv notes.

"No country that believes in the moral superiority of its position refuses to sit at the negotiating table," Christodoulides stressed.