In June 2018, the Council of Ministers of the European Union praised the progress made by Albania for undertaken reforms and set the path towards the opening of accession negotiations with Albania. The Council authorized the Commission to begin preparatory work for the screeningprocess. Immediately thereafter, the Commission launched the calendar for explanatory screening meetings for 33 acquis chapters. Chapters 34 (Institutions) and 35 (Other Issues) are negotiated accordingly at the end of the negotiation process. Currently, they are not relevant for Albania.
The process began in September 2018 and extends until December 2019: This process is known as screening.
Currently, all explanatory meetings have been held and preparations continue for bilateral meetings, which are expected to take place after the formal opening of negotiations with Albania.