THE INTEGRAL ROLE OF THE ALBANIAN PARLIAMENT IN EU INTEGRATION THROUGH NATIONAL LAW APPROXIMATION (JANUARY 2018 – DECEMBER 2023)

Background: Albania negotiations for the country's EU membership formally began on 19 July 2022. The process will consist, among others, of approximating national legislation with the EU acquis, which is divided into six thematic clusters. Albania must achieve the country's legislation full compliance with the EU acquis and its successful implementation. Negotiations and subsequent membership in the European Union (EU) will support the democratisation and strengthening of the rule of law in Albania. This research examines the role of the Albanian Parliament in the EU integration process through the approximation of national laws. This desk research serves as a cornerstone for further research and academic studies regarding the Albanian Parliament's involvement in EU integration efforts through the process of national law approximation. Therefore, to better approximate national legislation with that of the EU, it is recommended that Parliament increases the trend of approving laws aimed at approximation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the legislative activity of the Albanian Parliament (Parliament hereinafter) between 2018 and 2023 in terms of approximation of national laws with the EU acquis. The study used a desk review to analyse the annual number of laws adopted and approximated to EU law. Reliable sources from the Official Journals of the Republic of Albania (Albania hereinafter) were used to collect data on laws adopted and approximated during the study period providing an understanding of the total number of laws adopted and approximated for each year, the relevant EU act, and the clusters of the negotiation chapters. Results and Conclusions: Analysing the role of Parliament in EU integration through the approximation of national legislation from 2018 to 2023 highlights the multidimensional nature of the integration process and the important contribution made so far by the legislative power. During the period covered by the study, Parliament has made important efforts to approximate national legislation with EU legislation, which is proven by the study results. Based on the study data, a quantifiable difference was found between the total number of laws approved and those approximated by Parliament from 2018 to 2023. The study's conclusions and recommendations provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in approximating Albanian legislation with the EU acquis and advancing the country's European integration agenda.