What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

Changed:E. whereas Albania opened negotiations on ‘Cluster 1: Fundamentals’ on 15 October 2024 and2024, on ‘Cluster 6: External Relations’ on 17 December 2024;2024, on ‘Cluster 2: Internal market’ on 14 April 2025 and on ‘Cluster 3: Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth’ on 22 May 2025;

Changed:2. Welcomes Albania’s ambition of closing accession negotiations by the end of 2027 and the swift progress made in recent years, notably the opening of two clusters of negotiating chapters in 2024;2024 and two further clusters so far in 2025; recalls that candidate countries undergo in-depth transformations to fulfil membership criteria during accession negotiations, which last as long as it takes to implement the necessary reforms; stresses the need to strengthen the transparency, accountability and inclusiveness of the accession process, including its parliamentary dimension; cautions against any actions that could undermine the system of checks and balances;

Changed:12. Takes note of the July 2024 amendments to Albania’s electoral code, which enable out-of-country voting by the Albanian diaspora and introduce partially open candidate lists; takes note of the parliamentary elections of 11 May 2025 and underlines that, based on the preliminary conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR, the elections were competitive and professionally conducted but took place in a highly polarised environment and contestants did not enjoy a level playing field; expresses concern that the ruling party benefited from the widespread use of administrative resources; notes that the publication of the OSCE/ODIHR final report, which will include the final assessment and recommendations to be implemented, is expected in the coming months; calls on all parties to demonstrate political will for a comprehensive and inclusive electoral reform to implement all recommendations from the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission fully and in a timely manner, including those on the electoral and party financing framework;

Removed:23. Welcomes the adoption of the pending implementing legislation on the rights of persons belonging to minorities, specifically on self-identification and the use of minority languages, and underscores that these by-laws have to be fully and effectively implemented in order to render the exercise of minority and education rights feasible in practice; calls on the authorities to increase the capacity of the State Committee on National Minorities; expresses concern over persistent issues of discrimination and social exclusion affecting minority groups in Albania; calls on the Albanian Government to fully respect and protect human rights, including the rights of minorities, and to ensure that all allegations of human rights abuses, including hate speech, are promptly and thoroughly investigated; urges the Albanian authorities to enhance institutional mechanisms to prevent discrimination and ensure the meaningful political participation of all communities, in line with the recommendations of the Commission’s 2024 report on Albania; calls on Albania to protect and promote the cultural heritage, languages and traditions of its national minorities; calls on Albania to provide education for national minorities in minority languages and to ensure adequate access to state primary, secondary and higher education for all of its citizens;

Added:23. Calls on Albania to fully respect the autonomy of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania and refrain from any actions that undermine its freedom of religious expression or its property rights; calls for an end to interference in ecclesiastical appointments and for dialogue with religious authorities to safeguard religious pluralism;

Added:24. Welcomes the adoption of the pending implementing legislation on the rights of persons belonging to minorities, specifically on self-identification and the use of minority languages, including at the level of local self-government units, and underscores that these by-laws have to be fully and effectively implemented in order to render the exercise of minority and education rights feasible in practice; calls on the authorities to ensure the effective implementation of the bylaws, notably by allocating adequate resources to central agencies and local government; calls on the authorities to ensure that procedures for selecting the members of the Committee on National Minorities are reviewed in line with the recommendations of the Commission and of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities; calls on the authorities to increase the capacity of the State Committee on National Minorities and to ensure that it is fully functional and has adequate resources at its disposal; expresses concern over persistent issues of discrimination and social exclusion affecting minority groups in Albania; calls on the Albanian Government to fully respect and protect human rights, including the rights of minorities, and to ensure that all allegations of human rights abuses, including hate speech, are promptly and thoroughly investigated; urges the Albanian authorities to enhance institutional mechanisms to prevent discrimination and ensure the meaningful political participation of all communities, in line with the recommendations of the Commission’s 2024 report on Albania; calls on Albania to protect and promote the cultural heritage, languages and traditions of its national minorities; calls on Albania to provide education for national minorities in their mother tongue, including adequate primary and secondary schooling in Greek in regions traditionally inhabited by the Greek national minority, and to ensure unrestricted access to state primary, secondary and higher education for all of its citizens throughout the country, thus fully implementing the relevant legislation;

Added:25. Calls on Albania to protect and preserve the religious and cultural heritage of the Greek Orthodox minority, including through the restoration and legal recognition of churches and cemeteries; calls on the authorities to refrain from expropriating or demolishing properties of historical or cultural significance to the Greek minority;