TIRANA – “The Croatian Government is satisfied that one of the Croatian presidency priorities has been fulfilled – the launch of entry talks with North Macedonia and Albania,” has said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
PM Plenković made that comment in a press statement released on Wednesday considering the event as of special importance for Albania and North Macedonia.
The EU foreign ministers agreed to open accession talks with the two countries with a view to them joining the bloc in a video-conference rather than a meeting in person as a precaution during the coronavirus outbreak last Tuesday.
Albania and North Macedonia have been candidates since 2005 but progress has stalled amid opposition from some member states. Most recently last year France’s Emmanuel Macron led a small group of member states blocking the opening of talks. Mr. Macron said the accession and enlargement process needed to be reformed before he would consider admitting more countries to the union. The decision was described by then outgoing Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker as a “historic error”, while then Council president Donald Tusk agreed it was “a mistake”.
Albania and Macedonia join Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey as candidates who are negotiating. Kosovo and Bosnia also wishe to become candidates.
“This decision is the result of months of intense political and diplomatic efforts by the Croatian Government, which remained committed to achieving this goal despite the fact that no decision was made at the European Council meeting of October last year,” said Mr. Plenković.
Croatia’s presidency of the Council of the EU has demonstrated that it remains operative and capable of making important decisions in spite of the extraordinary circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound effect on the way the EU works and communicates.
“By preparing the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb and through active dialogue with heads of member states and European institutions, we have managed to bring the enlargement issue back on the EU agenda,” said the Croatian PM.
In the meantime it is said in the statement released by the Croatian foreign ministry that the decision to launch accession talks includes a decision to start working on the negotiation frameworks as well. “It is important that the European Commission begins working on this crucial aspect of the negotiating process. Once the frameworks are adopted, intergovernmental conferences that will formally open the talks with North Macedonia and Albania are to be convened as soon as possible. This decision is a message of encouragement for North Macedonia and Albania to continue implementing the reforms,” said the statement./argumentum.al
