The German EU Presidency will have one last shot on Wednesday to adopt conclusions regarding enlargement in the region, including North Macedonia, MIA reports from Brussels.
The Council of the EU is set to hold an ambassadorial meeting on Wednesday to discuss conclusions on enlargement that were removed from the agenda last week, due to Bulgaria’s decision to block negotiations with North Macedonia and insistence that the first intergovernmental conference can’t take place until bilateral disputes are resolved.
This week, the German Presidency has put enlargement back on the agenda.
However, it remains to be seen what kind of compromise the German Presidency will come up with.
The latest information circulating in Brussels’ diplomatic circles is that stakeholders are searching for a compromise related to “incorrect interpretation of history.”
While the EU Presidency thinks that the phrase should apply for all countries in the region, according to diplomatic sources, Sofia is asking that it be added specifically to documents regarding North Macedonia.
The latest draft-conclusions state that the first interovermnal conferences with North Macedonia and Albania should be held as soon as possible, but the latter has to meet certain preconditions.
Some EU member states insist on separating Skopje and Tirana, in order to be able to officially greenlight start of talks with Albania, if Bulgaria keeps blocking those with North Macedonia.
