EU Council Approves Start of Membership Negotiations for Albania and Northern Macedonia

The EU foreign ministers gave the green light to accession talks with Albania and Northern Macedonia on joining the European Union, now it’s up to the heads of state and government of the community. The EU Council agreed to start negotiations on the European Union membership of Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. President of the European Parliament David Sassoli tweeted this on Tuesday, March 24. “Some good news in difficult times: EU affairs ministers gave their ok for accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia (to the European Union. - Ed.). Leaders (of the EU - Ed.) should follow”, he wrote. “The European Parliament has always supported the Western Balkan’s European future. We need strong bonds with our neighbors, now more than ever,” Sassoli emphasized. “An incentive to continue the course of reforms” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has already responded to the decision of the EU Council. “Europe stands by its word. Albania and North Macedonia will now take a further step along their path to EU membership. This recognition of their reform efforts is long overdue. It also encourages them to decisively continue down this road”, the German Foreign Minister said in a statement. France and the Netherlands blocked negotiations In mid-October 2019, France, the Netherlands and Denmark blocked the EU decision to start negotiations with the two Balkan states, referring to doubts about the progress of the reforms. Germany and other EU countries, on the contrary, believed that the Balkan states had fulfilled the conditions for starting a dialogue. At the beginning of the year, Brussels changed the procedure for negotiations on the country’s admission to the EU. Thus, the European Union received the right to freeze negotiations and restart them in certain areas, if progress, in his opinion, is insufficient. Earlier, the beginning of such a dialogue must necessarily have ended with the country's accession to the European Union. The changes, in particular, allowed remove the objections of France and the Netherlands. Disagreements with Greece Negotiations on the entry of North Macedonia into the European Union became possible after Skopje settled the differences with Greece, agreeing to rename its state, which was previously called the Republic of Macedonia. At the end of May 2019, the European Commission considered Albania and Northern Macedonia ready to start negotiations on accession to the European Union.