2025 Commission report on Albania

Amendments tabled for the plenary sitting on this text, in their own numbering series. This is a different set from the committee amendments tracked elsewhere on AmendEU, and is not counted in any of the site’s amendment totals.

1. Amendment 1ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 33 a (new)
   Amendment

   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;

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2. Amendment 2ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 50 a (new)
   Amendment

   50a. Deplores the fact that 23 380 Albanian nationals were recorded as being in an illegal situation within the EU in 2025, according to Eurostat, placing Albania among the top 10 nationalities concerned at EU level; considers this situation to be incompatible with the conditions for a credible accession to the EU;

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3. Amendment 3S&DMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 39
   Current text

   39. Warmly welcomes the Commission proposal to open negotiations to extend the EU ‘roam like at home’ regime to the Western Balkans, and calls on the Council to swiftly authorise the opening of negotiations, in this regard, with the Western Balkan partners;

   Amendment

   39. Warmly welcomes the Commission proposal and the Council’s authorisation to open negotiations to extend the EU ‘roam like at home’ regime to the Western Balkans, and calls on the Commission and the Western Balkan partners to swiftly take the necessary steps for the reciprocal opening of the EU’s and the Western Balkan partners’ roaming markets, enabling citizens and businesses to benefit from roaming services without additional charges;

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4. Amendment 4The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 46
   Current text

   46. Deeply regrets the fact that Albania’s 2015 Law on Strategic Investments has been extended, in view of its provisions enabling accelerated permitting procedures and reduced environmental scrutiny, which risk adversely affecting protected areas and other environmentally sensitive zones; calls for the repealing of the 2024 amendments to the Law on Protected Areas, which allow the development of large-scale tourism infrastructure within protected areas and transfer key governance and decision-making competences to the National Council of Territory, thereby weakening environmental oversight;

   Amendment

   46. Deeply regrets the fact that Albania’s 2015 Law on Strategic Investments has been extended, in view of its provisions enabling accelerated permitting procedures and reduced environmental scrutiny, which risk adversely affecting protected areas and other environmentally sensitive zones; calls for the repealing of the 2024 amendments to the Law on Protected Areas, which allow the development of large-scale tourism infrastructure within protected areas and transfer key governance and decision-making competences to the National Council of Territory, thereby weakening environmental oversight; expresses concerns, therefore, about the government’s deal with Jared Kushner’s company Affinity Part…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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5. Amendment 5The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 46 a (new)
   Amendment

   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/200…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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6. Amendment 6The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 49
   Current text

   49. Underlines the importance of good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation as essential components of the EU enlargement process, and welcomes Albania’s active participation in regional initiatives; underlines the need for deeper security cooperation within the Western Balkans, fostering closer coordination among regional partners to combat organised crime, cyberthreats, and hybrid challenges; recognises the strategic importance of the Adriatic-Ionian region for European security and economic stability; calls on Albania to enhance its maritime security capabilities in coordination with the EU and NATO, including strengthening naval infrastructure, improving surveillance systems and…

   Amendment

   49. Underlines the importance of good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation as essential components of the EU enlargement process, and welcomes Albania’s active participation in regional initiatives; 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…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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7. Amendment 7The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 49 a (new)
   Amendment

   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;

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8. Amendment 8PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 11
   Current text

   11. Calls on Albania to make decisive progress on the initial registration of property and on fair, commonly accepted compensation, improving the transparency of the state property register and the quality of cadastral data in the real estate register, and to ensure that the right to a fair trial and the right to effective judicial protection are respected in cases of expropriation and removal of real estate;

   Amendment

   11. Calls on Albania to make decisive progress on the initial registration of property and on fair, commonly accepted compensation, improving the transparency of the state property register and the quality of cadastral data in the real estate register, and to ensure that the right to a fair trial and the right to effective judicial protection are respected in cases of expropriation and removal of real estate; 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 an…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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9. Amendment 9PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 17 a (new)
   Amendment

   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;

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10. Amendment 10PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 18 a (new)
    Amendment

    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;

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11. Amendment 11PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 18 b (new)
    Amendment

    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;

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12. Amendment 12PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 21 a (new)
    Amendment

    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;

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13. Amendment 13PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 21 b (new)
    Amendment

    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;

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14. Amendment 14PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 49 a (new)
    Amendment

    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;

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15. Amendment 15PPEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 21 a (new)
    Amendment

    21a. Acknowledges that the Greek national minority retains its strong historical presence, especially in Southern Albania and calls on Albania to ensure the protection of the right of property;

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16. Amendment 16PPEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 37
    Current text

    37. Welcomes the adoption of Albania’s Strategy for the Modernisation and Harmonisation of Albanian Customs Information Systems with the EU systems for the period 2025-2030; commends the Albanian authorities for their efforts to meet EU standards by harmonising and improving customs infrastructure;

    Amendment

    37. Welcomes the adoption of Albania’s Strategy for the Modernisation and Harmonisation of Albanian Customs Information Systems with the EU systems for the period 2025-2030; commends the Albanian authorities for their efforts to meet EU standards by harmonising and improving customs infrastructure; stresses that customs IT systems require significant upgrading in order to achieve full harmonisation with EU standards and calls on the Albanian authorities to accelerate the necessary investments and reforms in this regard;

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17. Amendment 17Verts/ALEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 46 a (new)
    Amendment

    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 unt…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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