Relationship dossier
Albania
France
Relationship assessment
A cooperative partnership shaped by NATO ties and Albania’s EU accession process
Albania toward France
+35Albania has pursued cooperation with France through the bilateral strategic partnership framework and collaboration within NATO. The available examples support a positive relationship, though the depth of specific Albanian government initiatives toward France is unclear.
France toward Albania
+15France has supported Albania’s NATO integration and engaged in its EU accession process. It opposed opening accession negotiations in 2019, but negotiations began in 2022, reflecting a relationship that is cooperative yet affected by French enlargement policy.
Overall relationship
+25The bilateral relationship rests on a strategic partnership and cooperation within NATO, alongside France’s influence over Albania’s EU accession path. The 2019 French opposition to opening negotiations created a significant point of friction, followed by the start of accession negotiations in 2022. These features support an overall cooperative but not uniformly aligned relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Albania and France maintain a cooperative partnership, including a strategic partnership framework and collaboration through NATO. France has also played a significant role in Albania’s European Union accession process: it opposed opening accession negotiations in 2019, while negotiations formally began in 2022. The relationship therefore combines sustained cooperation with a notable period of friction over enlargement policy.
Areas of tension
- France’s 2019 opposition to opening EU accession negotiations with Albania.
Key developments
Albania and France established a strategic partnership framework.
France opposed opening EU accession negotiations with Albania.
The first intergovernmental conference formally opened EU accession negotiations with Albania.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of cooperation under the strategic partnership are unclear.
- The long-term effect of France’s 2019 opposition to opening accession negotiations on bilateral ties is uncertain.