On Tuesday 19 November, the European Union announced that it had signed a new security and defence partnership with Albania.
Like the one signed with North Macedonia on the same day (see EUROPE 13527/6), this partnership should help to strengthen national capabilities and improve regional cooperation. It covers cyber security, crisis management, the fight against hybrid threats and terrorism, as well as agent training.
This EU-Albania partnership includes Albania’s participation in meetings organised by the EU in the field of security and defence, and the development of greater cooperation to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.
The two parties are also committed to making joint contributions to strengthening regional stability in the Western Balkans.
This new policy framework reflects “the determination of both parties to work together to address shared security challenges in an increasingly complex global environment”, according to the press release.
More broadly, this decision is part of Albania’s alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, which is a sine qua non for membership, as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, pointed out when the European Commission presented its report on enlargement (see EUROPE 13515/2).
See the partnership: https://aeur.eu/f/een (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)