Albania as a Moderate Contributor to Regional Cooperation - Antonela Dhimolea, November 2025

A secure, peaceful, and developed region would not only lead to an improvement in the lives of its 17 million citizens, but would also contribute to greater security and stability in Europe as a whole. Likewise, a stable region can act as a constructive mechanism against potential regional and global crises, and for this reason, the European integration of the Western Balkans is not just an innocent regional ambition, but a strategic and essential necessity for the European continent.

Understanding the meaningful mission of regional cooperation and the importance of good-neighbourly relations, Albania has significantly increased its engagement in this primary dimension of its foreign policy, diligently fulfilling all the obligations stemming from the respective cooperation mechanisms. Albania has joined 37 regional initiatives, demonstrating that it seeks dynamic and inclusive representation in regional cooperation.

Albania’s active participation in regional initiatives increases its political profile and image in the Southeast European region through interaction with the other member states. Regional initiatives are platforms where intensive political debate takes place and where countries negotiate to reach consensus on various decisions.

It should be emphasized that in regional initiatives, there are strong debates between Kosovo and Serbia (in those initiatives where Kosovo participates, such as SEECP, WBF, MARRI, etc.), while in the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the debate takes place between Russia and Ukraine, and between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In this context, Albania has always tried to play as constructive a role as possible in supporting Kosovo and Ukraine, and in showing that it is an energetic regional actor.

Albania has contributed by maintaining a moderate stance in regional cooperation, by taking part in negotiations on various sensitive issues, and by implementing all commitments arising from participation in these initiatives. Over the years, Albania has also held, and still holds, leading positions in regional initiatives in important posts such as: Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, Ms. Majlinda Bregu; Executive Director of the Western Balkans Fund, Mr. Gjergj Murra; and Director of the Central European Free Trade Initiative, Ms. Pranvera Kastrati. We underline that active participation in regional initiatives has enabled the employment of many Albanians in their secretariats and also Albania’s participation in projects in various fields.

Furthermore, an added value is that Albania and Kosovo remain committed to strengthening mutual and coordinated cooperation within the framework of regional initiatives, with the aim of advancing their common interests and increasing their role in the region. Albania has played an important role in supporting Kosovo’s representation in regional initiatives, thus contributing to the increase of its regional prestige. Kosovo has joined around 28 regional initiatives of different dimensions, showing that it is a consolidated regional factor, but there still remains a strong ambition for Kosovo to be included in all regional mechanisms.

Besides regional cooperation, a shared priority between the two countries is European integration, and regional initiatives are seen as important tools for speeding up the integration process. In this respect, Albania has strongly supported Kosovo in the visa liberalisation process and in aligning its policies with EU policies. In regional initiatives, Kosovo sits as an equal at the table with Serbia and, in this way, Serbia “de facto” accepts Kosovo as a new state and is obliged to cooperate with it within the framework of regional initiatives.

Kosovo’s membership in these initiatives matters because it increases and develops Kosovo’s political dialogue with the other member states of these initiatives, helping to expand new recognitions of the new state of Kosovo. Albania has supported and appreciated Kosovo’s successful presidencies in regional initiatives, and Kosovo has likewise supported Albanian presidencies in these initiatives.

We underline that in regional initiatives where Kosovo participates, according to the 2012 Brussels Agreement, Kosovo is represented with an asterisk (*). This has also been reflected in the procedural rulebooks of the regional initiatives, agreed to by Kosovo. Consequently, in these initiatives, the term “state” or “republic” is not used, because Serbia seeks to avoid the official name “Republic of Kosovo”. In such cases, the names of the capitals of the member states are used in the documentation as well as for seating at the negotiating tables. The asterisk is also used in the documentation every time Kosovo is mentioned.

This practice is often perceived as a political and technical obstacle to the normal functioning of the work of regional initiatives, creating disagreements over how the asterisk should be used in official documents. The recent debate has focused on Kosovo’s request that the asterisk be used only once in the documents of regional initiatives, as it is used in EU documents. This request by Kosovo is strongly opposed by Serbia and, as a result, the lack of consensus blocks the work processes of the initiatives.

Kosovo does not hold any leadership position in regional initiatives, and Albania continuously demands at the negotiating tables that Kosovo be given such a position, because it is entitled to it as a member with full rights. The unanimity requirement in decision-making, as set out in the statutes of the initiatives, prevents Kosovo from taking a leadership position because Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina do not give their consent to Kosovo’s candidacies in the process of selecting directors.

At present, there are no vacant leadership posts in the political regional initiatives, except in the Western Balkans Fund, where the mandate of the Albanian executive director has ended. For about three years, no consensus has been found between Kosovo and Serbia to open the call for this vacant post. Serbia demands that alphabetical order be applied starting from Belgrade, whereas Kosovo demands that it start from Pristina. Our moderate position is to support Kosovo to take the executive director post, suggesting that Serbia could take it afterward. Due to the lack of consensus, this issue is blocked and seems without a solution, thus reflecting the complexity and problems that bilateral relations bring into regional cooperation fora.

The lack of progress in the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue has also been strongly reflected in the Berlin Process, which is the primary instrument for laying solid foundations for accelerating the European integration process. Initiated and envisioned by Chancellor Merkel, the Berlin Process was created to advance regional cooperation and dialogue on political, economic and social issues with the aim of speeding up European integration. Over the years, this process has promoted cooperation in key pillars such as infrastructure, trade, energy networks, governance, and the rule of law. Despite current regional challenges, the process remains a fundamental mechanism for regional stability, aligning regional policies with EU standards and pushing forward the EU enlargement agenda.

Albania is an unquestioned party to the five mobility agreements of the Berlin Process and is committed to fully implementing them. These agreements facilitate free movement in the region, also expanding the labour market through the recognition of professional qualifications for regulated professions and of university diplomas. In the 2023–2025 period, Albania has strongly supported the improvement and full implementation of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), of which it has been a member since 2007. This agreement, together with the Berlin Process, aims to create the Common Regional Market, with the goal of enabling the Western Balkans to access the EU Single Market. In this context, Albania, together with other countries of the region, is working on implementing the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2 for 2025–2028. This Plan will increase employment opportunities and foreign direct investments, thus contributing to the country’s economic growth.

Furthermore, the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, with a time frame until 2027, is another EU instrument that aims to bring the region closer to the EU by including the implementation of national reforms and the achievement of defined objectives that seek to improve the economic and social framework of our region. By focusing on internal political reforms through the National Agenda for Reform and Growth (2024–2027), Albania is committed to the EU Growth Plan, which is encouraging the gradual integration of Western Balkan countries, aiming to deliver early benefits before EU membership.

The EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans will give fresh impetus to economic development and to the integration process of the region into the EU. On the other hand, the European Union has a key role in encouraging the acceleration of economic convergence and social development of the region on the path to European integration.

The two Growth Plan agreements (the facility and the loan) have been approved by parliament, and so far, Albania has benefited €99.3 million from this Plan, aiming to benefit €922 million by 2027. Albania has also completed the process of joining the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), together with Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Moldova, thus expanding the geographic map of this important area.

Regarding roaming tariffs between the EU and the region, by encouraging efforts to implement the “roam like at home” principle, similar to Moldova and Ukraine, Albania received the good news that in 2026 roaming tariffs with the EU will be abolished. We also have concrete results in implementing Green and Blue Corridors, which reduce waiting times for the respective procedures for the movement of goods. Albania has a Green Corridor with North Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro, as well as a Blue Corridor with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, and Montenegro. Albania is also part of Corridor VIII, which aims to link the Adriatic Sea with the Black Sea in Bulgaria.

Following the successful OSCE and UN Security Council presidencies, as a result of its comprehensive engagement in regional cooperation in the 2023–2025 period, Albania successfully chaired six regional initiatives: the Berlin Process (2023), the Central European Initiative (2024), the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (January–June 2024), the South-East European Cooperation Process (July 2024–June 2025), the Initiative for Migration, Asylum and Refugees (July 2024–June 2025), and the Brdo–Brijuni Process for 2025.

In this context, Tirana turned during these two years into an important regional diplomatic centre where high-level meetings, expert meetings in various fields, meetings of foreign ministers, parliamentary assemblies and heads of state summits were held. Among these, we can mention the Ministerial and Summit of the Berlin Process, the Ministerial of the Central European Initiative, the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, of the Central European Initiative, of the South-East European Cooperation Process, the Ministerial and Summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process, and finally the Brdo–Brijuni Process Summit.

It is worth noting that, on the initiative of Prime Minister Rama, Albania was the first Western Balkan country to host important leaders’ meetings such as: the Berlin Process Summit (16 October 2023), the EU–Western Balkans Leaders’ Meeting (6 December 2022), the Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit (28 February 2024), as well as the European Political Community leaders’ meeting (16 May 2025), which played an extraordinary role in facilitating dialogue on Europe’s security and democratic resilience, competitiveness and economic security, as well as mobility challenges and youth empowerment.

The participation of world leaders in these summits in Tirana proves that Albania has become a diplomatic–touristic attraction and a moderate contributor not only to regional cooperation but also beyond. Furthermore, in 2027, Albania will host the next NATO Leaders’ Summit, further reinforcing its growing role in NATO and in strengthening collective security on the global stage. It will be the first time that a NATO Summit is held in a Balkan country, while EU countries such as Hungary, Slovenia or Romania have not yet hosted a NATO Summit in their territories.

In conclusion, the continued success of regional cooperation, especially through the implementation of the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2, will be essential in supporting the EU integration process of the Western Balkans. It serves as an important part of the new communication strategy of the European Commissioner for Enlargement, designed to increase public support for EU integration of the Western Balkan countries. Albania has joined the promising vision of economic convergence that aims to make the Western Balkans stronger, more prosperous, and aligned with EU standards. This includes stimulating internal economic growth and the gradual integration of the region into the EU. Albania has opened five negotiation clusters with the EU and aims to open all negotiation chapters by the end of the year. The final ambition is to conclude the negotiation process by 2027 and achieve full membership by 2030. Albania’s progress is visible and encouraging.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Çelik Rruplli has been working as a media analyst in Tirana, Albania, for the last 5 years, as part of the Europe House team.

The opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation or the organizations the authors work for.