Start of North Macedonia and Albania’s EU accession negotiations remains a matter of priority, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi said Tuesday after the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg.
“When it comes to Albania and North Macedonia, a lot of ground was covered over the past months, with significant progress achieved. We’re in final stretch and will continue to work with the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2021 to conclude it: we need to open 1st Intergovernmental Conferences with Albania and North Macedonia as a matter of priority,” Várhelyi posted on Twitter.
Despite the encouraging tones and efforts to persuade Bulgaria to lift the unprincipled veto for North Macedonia, Skopje and Tirana remain in EU’s threshold after not being approved to open negotiations with the EU although they had met all the necessary criteria. Bulgaria reaffirmed its position on the European perspective of the Republic of North Macedonia at Tuesday’s General Affairs Council in Luxembourg all the while remaining open to constructive dialogue with the upcoming Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU for finding mutually acceptable solutions.
