13 member states ask EU to open accession negotiations for Albania, North Macedonia
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- Recalling the General Affairs Council Conclusions of June 2018 that reaffirmed the EU's commitment to the enlargement process and given the progress made by the Republic of Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia in implementation of internal reforms and fostering good-neighbourly relations, the Foreign Ministers called upon the EU Member States to fulfil their commitment to the Western Balkans European integration and to take decisions on opening negotiations with both countries.
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TIRANA, June 11 - A number of EU member states' Foreign Ministers issued an announcement on Tuesday calling upon the members of the European Council to take a decision to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia in June 2019.
Recalling the General Affairs Council Conclusions of June 2018 that reaffirmed the EU's commitment to the enlargement process and given the progress made by the Republic of Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia in implementation of internal reforms and fostering good-neighbourly relations, the Foreign Ministers called upon the EU Member States to fulfil their commitment to the Western Balkans European integration and to take decisions on opening negotiations with both countries.
The announcement came from the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, Hungary, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Italian Republic, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Poland and the Slovak Republic.
Albania has received a positive recommendation by the European Parliament three times in the past, and has still been unable to open accession negotiations with the EU, as all member states should unanimously agree to give both countries the green light.
It has already been reported by a number of international media that negotiations again won’t open in June 2018 for Albania, as a number of member states (including the Netherlands and France), believe the country has not achieved to fulfill the EU membership criteria or that the EU first needs to reform from within.
