EU states still split on Albania reform state of play on crucial chapters (source)

Brussels, 19 May 2026, dtt-net.com – 27 member states of the EU are still discussing the state of play of reforms by Albanian institutions before a common position could be reached for starting closing first chapters in membership negotiations, after opening all 33 of them in November last year. But at today’s meeting of their representatives from the Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the EU (COELA), “three member states could not give a green light yet,” according to sources of a member state in Brussels, over talks on Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR) for Cluster 1 of negotiations, named as ‘Fundamentals’.