(MENAFN) The European Union on Monday launched the final accession negotiating cluster with Albania, covering resources, agriculture, and cohesion, during the seventh accession conference in Brussels.

The cluster includes key areas such as agriculture and fisheries, food safety, and cohesion policies, marking the last step in Albania’s EU accession talks, according to a statement.

"Accession of our Western Balkans partners upon completion of the necessary reforms is very important. Today's step of opening the last negotiating cluster with Albania demonstrates the country's commitment to further advancing its path towards EU membership," said Marie Bjerre, Danish European affairs minister.

This follows the opening of previous clusters with Albania, including fundamentals, the internal market, competitiveness and inclusive growth, the green agenda and sustainable connectivity, and external relations.

The EU Council said it will continue monitoring Albania’s alignment with the EU acquis – the body of common rights and obligations under EU law – and relevant European standards throughout the negotiations. Benchmarks for the provisional closure of chapters within Cluster 5 have been established, with discussions planned to revisit the cluster later.

Albania applied for EU membership in 2009, and accession negotiations began in 2022.

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