On 29 June, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn called on Albania – which has obtained the conditional opening of EU accession negotiations for June 2019 – to keep "the same impressive resolve and hard work".
In the editorial published in Albanian daily newspaper Panorama, Mogherini and Hahn said "it is time for Albania to build on the progress made and continue working with the same determination, particularly on judicial reform and the fight against corruption and organised crime". "The work in the year to come is an investment in your EU integration. Every step counts", they stated. They added that this will allow Albania not only to open negotiations, but also to do so in the most effective way.
Mogherini and Hahn underlined that "all political groups and parties, local authorities and civil society must work together more than ever to prepare for opening accession negotiations and take full ownership of this process. Everybody has a role to play in this historic process", they said.
The European Commission has already started preparations, including the future negotiation framework. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)