EU ministers fail to reach decision on accession talks with N Macedonia, Albania
EU ministers failed to reach a decision to approve the opening of accession talks with the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania, Finnish EU Affairs Minister Tytti Tuppurainen told a news conference on October 15 in Luxembourg after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Outgoing EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that it was not a moment of glory for Europe, referring to the General Affairs Council meeting. He said that most EU members had backed the recommendation for starting negotiations with the two countries.
“There is no doubt that any further postponement would damage our credibility in the Western Balkans and also our ambitions to become a stronger global player,” Hahn said.
Three countries – France, Germany and Italy – oppose the latest proposal on ‘decoupling’ the two countries and starting negotiations with North Macedonia first.
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