BELGRADE, Serbia

The 12th meeting of the EU-Albania Stabilization and Association Council was held in Albania's capital Tirana on Thursday.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi led discussions focused on the accession strategy, including political and economic criteria.

They also spoke about recent developments in the Western Balkans and bilateral Albania-EU matters.

In a statement after the meeting, the EU said Albania “has continued aligning its legislation and capacities” with the bloc's standards, but “further substantial efforts are necessary.”

“The EU encouraged Albania to continue improving its administrative capacity to effectively implement and enforce legislation, and underlined the importance of safeguarding the independence of regulatory bodies,” read the statement.

It hailed Albania's “good progress … for developing a functioning market economy,” adding that “supported by a broadly appropriate policy mix, the Albanian economy showed resilience.”

“Participants also welcomed Albania's continued constructive engagement in regional cooperation as well as its continued dialogue to ensure good neighborly relations,” the statement added.