France blocked a European Union drive to start membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, dismissing German-led warnings that political stability in the Balkans could be at stake, reports Bloomberg.
At a meeting of EU general affairs ministers on Tuesday, the French government shot down a plan to give the two countries a target date next year for beginning entry talks, according to two officials familiar with discussion who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The move pushes the whole controversy onto the already-crowded agenda of an October 17th-18th EU summit in Brussels, where Brexit and Syria will also be discussed.
The deadlock at the ministerial gathering in Luxembourg resulted from a French argument, backed in part by the Netherlands, that no date should be set for opening accession deliberations with North Macedonia and Albania until the EU revamps its whole approach to enlargement. At issue is whether the two countries adhere to EU norms on the rule of law, an area where some newer member nations have been accused of backsliding.
“We clearly aren’t in a position today to stand by what we have repeatedly promised, namely the taking up of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania,” German Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth told reporters in Luxembourg. “We are very disappointed.”
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Zoran Zaev, traveled to Brussels Tuesday for “a last attempt to lobby for an accesstion-talk date,” according to Telma TV. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said his country would continue to pursue reforms even if the European Council doesn’t decide to open talks, the BalkanWeb news site reported.
”For us Europe is a strong relationship,” Rama said. “We are only seeking to open the negotiations, further showing that we want to become part of the EU.”