Slovenia pushes for Albania and N. Macedonia EU membership
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BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union should let Albania and North Macedonia move ahead with membership talks by October before a special Balkans summit organised by Slovenia, which holds the EU presidency, its prime minister said on Tuesday.
Despite approval in March 2020 for both Balkan countries to proceed to formal talks, Bulgaria has blocked North Macedonia’s progress over a dispute about their shared language. Albania’s status is linked to North Macedonia by the EU.
“We know that the European Union makes big steps forward once it focuses on something,” Prime Minister Janez Jansa told a news conference. “If we move it up the agenda we will be able to take concrete steps forward. Albania and North Macedonia can move forward by the next summit in October if we all concentrate on that,” he said at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The EU-Western Balkans summit is set for Oct. 6 in Slovenia. EU ambassadors are due to have a first, closed-door discussion on Wednesday about it, with diplomats fearing a public relations disaster if Balkan negotiations remains frozen.
France, the Netherlands and Denmark are among EU countries wary of the “EU enlargement” process, after what many believe was the rushed …Download to access full text6PTSDOWNLOAD PACKAGEPlease contact your account manager to learn about our Points subscription options.
