2025 Commission report on Albania

Wording as published by the EP, in English.

1. Amendment 1Rejected

   Paragraph 33 a (new)

   Tabled by Sarah Knafo · ESN

   Added: 33a. Underlines that, according to Eurostat, Albania’s GDP per capita represented less than one sixth of the EU average in 2024, placing Albania last among the candidate countries in terms of GDP per capita; underlines that the accession of a country presenting such a development gap would generate considerable financial transfers at the expense of Member States;

2. Amendment 4Rejected

   Paragraph 46

   Tabled by Ilaria Salis, Danilo Della Valle, Emma Fourreau +4 · The Left

   … decision-making competences to the National Council of Territory, thereby weakening environmental oversight; Added: expresses concerns, therefore, about the government’s deal with Jared Kushner’s company Affinity Partners to develop a luxury resort project on Sazan and in the protected area of Vjosa-Narta; calls for support for the anti-corruption investigation currently led by SPAK in this context; calls for the right to protest peacefully to be guaranteed against repression by private security companies, such as during the clashes that occurred at the end of May 2026;

3. Amendment 5Adopted

   Paragraph 46 a (new)

   Tabled by Hanna Gedin, Jonas Sjöstedt, Emma Fourreau +2 · The Left

   Added: 46a. Highlights the fact that the Commission has cautioned Albania against actions that may impact its EU accession path amid ongoing national protests over a large-scale luxury development project that threatens a protected wildlife area home to flamingos, seals and turtle nesting sites; echoes, in this regard, the Commission’s criticism and recalls that alignment with EU environmental rules, including the Birds Directive1a and the Habitats Directive1b, is a prerequisite for EU accession; ______________ 1a Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/147/oj). 1b Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1992/43/oj).

4. Amendment 6Rejected

   Paragraph 49

   Tabled by Ilaria Salis, Danilo Della Valle, Emma Fourreau +3 · The Left

   … the EU enlargement process, and welcomes Albania’s active participation in regional initiatives; Added: underlines, however, in this context, that such cooperation must under no circumstances be used by EU Member States to compel Albania, or any other candidate country, to undertake measures that would contradict EU law; highlights the fact that cooperation cannot be a vehicle for circumventing EU obligations or undermining fundamental rights, as illustrated by recent judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union in connection with the Italy-Albania Memorandum of Understanding1a; recalls, in relation to this matter, the concerns expressed by the Court of Appeal of Rome1b regarding the current use of the Gjader centre as a full-fledged pre-removal detention centre (‘centro di permanenza per i rimpatri’), which appears to be in violation of Article 9(1) of Directive 2013/32/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection1c; underlines the need for deeper security cooperation within the Western Balkans, fostering … the protection of critical maritime routes and environmental sustainability in the region; Added: ______________ 1a Judgment of the Court of Justice of 1 August 2025 in joined cases C-758/24 and C-759/24, LC, CP v Commissione territoriale per il riconoscimento della protezione internazionale di Roma – sezione procedure alla frontiera II, (, ( 1 ) Alace and Canpelli, ECLI:EU:C:2025:591. 1b Causa C-707/25, Sidilli: Domanda di pronuncia pregiudiziale proposta dalla Corte d’appello di Roma (Italia) il 6 novembre 2025 – Questura di Roma / JA (http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/160/oj); Causa C-706/25, Comeri: Domanda di pronuncia pregiudiziale proposta dalla Corte d’appello di Roma (Italia) il 6 novembre 2025 – Questura di Roma / SG (http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/159/oj). 1c OJ L 180, 29.6.2013, p. 60, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2013/32/oj.

5. Amendment 7Rejected

   Paragraph 49 a (new)

   Tabled by Danilo Della Valle · The Left

   Added: 49a. Notes that, once Albania’s accession is completed, Albania will no longer be considered a non-EU country; notes, therefore, that the Italy-Albania Memorandum on Migration will cease to apply, and that the Italian detention centres in Albania should be closed;

6. Amendment 8Rejected

   Paragraph 11

   Tabled by Afroditi Latinopoulou, António Tânger Corrêa · PfE

   … protection are respected in cases of expropriation and removal of real estate; Added: expresses particular concern about allegations of arbitrary expropriations, pressure on property owners and opaque land-registration procedures affecting members of national minorities, including the Greek national minority; insists that property rights, effective judicial protection and the right to a fair trial must be fully guaranteed and that these matters are fundamental conditions to be respected by Albania in its relations with the EU;

7. Amendment 9Rejected

   Paragraph 17 a (new)

   Tabled by Afroditi Latinopoulou, António Tânger Corrêa · PfE

   Added: 17a. Calls on Albania to fully respect the autonomy of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania and to refrain from any action undermining its freedom of religious expression or its property rights; calls for an end to interference in ecclesiastical appointments and for dialogue with the religious authorities with a view to safeguarding religious pluralism and religious heritage;

8. Amendment 10Rejected

   Paragraph 18 a (new)

   Tabled by Afroditi Latinopoulou, António Tânger Corrêa · PfE

   Added: 18a. Calls on Albania to provide education to people from national minorities in their mother tongue, including adequate primary and secondary education in the Greek language in areas traditionally inhabited by people from the Greek national minority, and to ensure unhindered access for all its citizens to public primary, secondary and higher education;

9. Amendment 11Rejected

   Paragraph 18 b (new)

   Tabled by Afroditi Latinopoulou, António Tânger Corrêa · PfE

   Added: 18b. Expresses serious concern about persistent problems faced by people from the Greek national minority in Albania, including with regard to property rights, access to education in the minority language, political representation, local self-government and the preservation of cultural and religious heritage; calls on the Albanian authorities to guarantee the full, effective and non-discriminatory implementation of the rights of people from the Greek national minority, in particular in historically Greek areas such as Himara; stresses that tangible progress must be made in this area and that these conditions must be respected by Albania in its relations with the EU;

10. Amendment 12Rejected

    Paragraph 21 a (new)

    Tabled by Afroditi Latinopoulou, António Tânger Corrêa · PfE

    Added: 21a. Calls on Albania to protect and preserve the religious and cultural heritage of the Greek Orthodox minority, including through the restoration, legal protection and recognition of churches, cemeteries and other sites of religious or cultural significance; calls on the authorities to refrain from expropriating or demolishing properties of historical or cultural significance to the Greek minority;

11. Amendment 13Rejected

    Paragraph 21 b (new)

    Tabled by Afroditi Latinopoulou, António Tânger Corrêa · PfE

    Added: 21b. Calls on Albania to fully respect the rights of people from the Greek national minority, including in the areas of education, language, freedom of religion and the restitution of property rights, in line with its commitments under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and international conventions; stresses the need to ensure meaningful political participation, the protection of cultural heritage and the transparent resolution of long-standing property claims in areas traditionally inhabited by people from the Greek minority;

12. Amendment 14Rejected

    Paragraph 49 a (new)

    Tabled by Afroditi Latinopoulou, António Tânger Corrêa · PfE

    Added: 49a. Calls on all political actors in Albania to reject unequivocally any form of historical revisionism, irredentism or territorial claims against neighbouring countries; underlines that good neighbourly relations must be based on the inviolability of borders, mutual respect and the non-instrumentalisation of minority issues;

13. Amendment 17Adopted

    Paragraph 46 a (new)

    Tabled by Tineke Strik, Thomas Waitz, Cristina Guarda +10 · Verts/ALE

    Added: 46a. Expresses serious concern that ongoing developments within the Vjosa-Narta protected area demonstrate the practical consequences of these legislative changes and the resulting risks to areas of recognised ecological value; closely follows the ongoing peaceful mass protests in this regard; calls on the Albanian authorities to immediately establish a moratorium on all new permitting procedures, construction works and development interventions within protected areas until the incompatible provisions of the amended Law on Protected Areas have been repealed, on the basis of a long-standing request by the Commission and Parliament and in line with the closing benchmarks of Chapter 27, and until full compliance with EU nature protection standards has been ensured; underlines that any projects in this area need to undergo comprehensive environmental impact assessments fully in line with EU standards, including a transparent public participation process with local communities, scientists and civil society;

14. Amendment 17Adopted

    Paragraph 46 a (new)

    Tabled by Tineke Strik, Thomas Waitz, Cristina Guarda +10 · Verts/ALE

    Added: 46a. Expresses serious concern that ongoing developments within the Vjosa-Narta protected area demonstrate the practical consequences of these legislative changes and the resulting risks to areas of recognised ecological value; closely follows the ongoing peaceful mass protests in this regard; calls on the Albanian authorities to immediately establish a moratorium on all new permitting procedures, construction works and development interventions within protected areas until the incompatible provisions of the amended Law on Protected Areas have been repealed, on the basis of a long-standing request by the Commission and Parliament and in line with the closing benchmarks of Chapter 27, and until full compliance with EU nature protection standards has been ensured; underlines that any projects in this area need to undergo comprehensive environmental impact assessments fully in line with EU standards, including a transparent public participation process with local communities, scientists and civil society;

15. Amendment 17Adopted

    Paragraph 46 a (new)

    Tabled by Tineke Strik, Thomas Waitz, Cristina Guarda +10 · Verts/ALE

    Added: 46a. Expresses serious concern that ongoing developments within the Vjosa-Narta protected area demonstrate the practical consequences of these legislative changes and the resulting risks to areas of recognised ecological value; closely follows the ongoing peaceful mass protests in this regard; calls on the Albanian authorities to immediately establish a moratorium on all new permitting procedures, construction works and development interventions within protected areas until the incompatible provisions of the amended Law on Protected Areas have been repealed, on the basis of a long-standing request by the Commission and Parliament and in line with the closing benchmarks of Chapter 27, and until full compliance with EU nature protection standards has been ensured; underlines that any projects in this area need to undergo comprehensive environmental impact assessments fully in line with EU standards, including a transparent public participation process with local communities, scientists and civil society;