November 16 (SeeNews) - The European Union foreign ministers on Monday agreed that Albania should be considered as a candidate state, opening the way for the country's next steps towards joining the bloc.
Albania, one of Europe's poorest states, applied to join the 27-member European Union in April this year.
"...the Council reaffirms that the future of the Western Balkans lies in the European Union," the EU General Affairs Council said in a statement.
"It reiterates that each country's progress towards the European Union depends on its individual efforts to comply with the Copenhagen criteria and the conditionality of
the Stabilisation and Association Process," it said.
"[...] a country's satisfactory track-record in implementing its obligations under a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), including trade related provisions, is an essential element for the EU to consider any membership application."
The Copenhangen criteria are the rules that define whether a country is eligible to join the EU. The EU executive is due to prepare an assessment of Albania's readiness to start membership talks. If it is allowed to start the talks, Albania will become an official candidate.
Albania signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU, the first formal step towards EU membership, in 2006.