“I am pretty sure that at least the request will be done by the end of this year,” Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha told Kathimerini, regarding the appeal to The Hague for the delimitation of “maritime zones.” Speaking at the 11th Delphi Economic Forum in late April, Hoxha highlighted Albania’s European Union path as a main priority.
You recently met with your Greek counterpart to discuss further strengthening of bilateral relations. What new or additional projects are you discussing?
Both Albania and Greece share a common vision for the Western Balkans: a region that is stable, cooperative, and steadily moving closer to the European Union. Alongside broader regional discussions, particular attention has also been given to the bilateral relationship, which remains strong and continues to support Albania’s EU accession path.
So, aside from your country’s path toward European accession, what other issues did you focus on?
One key outstanding issue is the delimitation of maritime zones and the continental shelf, which has remained unresolved for nearly two decades. Attempts have been made through bilateral negotiations on more than one occasion, but it has become clear that reaching an agreement is not easy. This is not unusual, and the natural course is to turn to international law. As the prime minister (Edi Rama) stated, both sides have agreed to take this matter to the court and allow it to deliver a final decision.
At what stage do things currently stand?
I think none of us has already really applied there. I think we will do it jointly because this is a joint initiative. I think that very soon, within this year, we will have a joint approach or a separate approach, and it remains to be discussed with my counterpart. But we are open to anything, and we leave the court the time that it has to decide and to render a verdict.
So, the first stage is going to be completed by the end of this year?
I am pretty sure that at least the request will be done by the end of this year.
In October 2024, Albania opened two Italian migrant processing centers to manage up to 36,000 asylum seekers. However, this initiative faced significant challenges. Do you believe this “migrant camp scheme” can actually work?
The camps provided are facilities where Albania offered the location, while they are operated by Italy. In that sense, they function as Italian-run spaces, and Albania is not involved in their internal operations. The project has faced some pressure due to internal dynamics within Italy. However, as of today, an Italian court has issued a ruling confirming that the centers established in Albania are compatible with EU law. This is a very specific and limited initiative. There are no plans to expand it or to open additional centers. The project originated as a request from Italy to Albania. The recent confirmation by the Italian court that the arrangement is compatible with European law further reinforces this position.
So if Greece were to ask the same thing, would you say “yes”?
I do not know if Greece needs to have (migrant) centers in Albania.
You have stated: “Greece is helping us and is among Albania’s strong supporters in the negotiation process. If Greece did not want it, no chapter would have been opened.” Which accession chapters remain to be completed for Albania’s integration into the EU?
Albania has opened all chapters and clusters and is now at a very specific and crucial stage. We are in the midterm review phase, which focuses on the most fundamental areas, like the rule of law, property rights, and human rights. In Brussels terminology, these are referred to as the “interim benchmarks.”
The European Commission has prepared a report based on Albania’s progress and submitted it to the Council. The Council has been reviewing this report throughout March and April, and we expect that it will soon finalize its common position. This position will be formally adopted at the next Intergovernmental Conference between the European Union and Albania. Once this step is completed, hopefully within the coming weeks, we will move into the next phase: “closing the chapters.” So far, no chapters have been formally closed, even though several are technically ready. The reason is that closures cannot proceed until the “interim benchmarks” are fully met.