After the collapse of the Eastern Bloc , Albania started to develop closer ties with Western Europe . At the 2008 Bucharest summit , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) invited Albania to join the alliance . In April 2014 Albania became a full member of the NATO . Albania was among the first southeastern European countries to join the Partnership for peace programme . Albania applied to join the European Union , becoming an official candidate for accession to the European Union in June 2014
2008 Bucharest summit
2008 Bucharest summit
History of Albania