There are no negotiations for Albania and North Macedonia again. The news was confirmed yesterday by Portugal's Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ana Paula Zacarias. The Portuguese minister said that it was decided to postpone the date of the First Intergovernmental Conference.
"We started the day with enlargement talks. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts, it was impossible to reach an agreement on maintaining the negotiating framework and holding the First Intergovernmental Conference for Albania and North Macedonia. We hope that the Slovenian presidency will be able to reach a date. The European perspective of the Western Balkans is a vital part of the European Union." said Zacarias, who added that on the other hand, it was decided to hold the First Intergovernmental Conference for Serbia and Montenegro.
The reason was Bulgaria's veto against North Macedonia, which also affected Albania.
Subsequently, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry confirmed the position it held yesterday at the EU General Affairs Council on the negotiations between Albania and North Macedonia.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rumen Alexandrov, represented Bulgaria, emphasizing that the implementation of the Neighborhood Agreement should be a condition for North Macedonia to join the EU.
Bulgaria has also left open the possibility of dialogue and mutual solutions during the Slovenian Presidency of the EU, which begins in July.
"Bulgaria confirmed its position on the European perspective of the Republic of North Macedonia during today's regular meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC) in Luxembourg, while it is also open to constructive dialogue with the incoming Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU to find mutually acceptable solutions." the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, there has been no shortage of praise for Albania: “Bulgaria praised Albania’s achievements in the reform process and reaffirmed its support for the adoption of the country’s negotiating framework.”
EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, says that work will continue during the Slovenian EU Presidency, which begins in July, to conclude this issue.
“When it comes to Albania & North Macedonia, a lot of ground was covered over the past months, with significant progress achieved. We are in the final stretch and will continue to work with the Slovenian EU Presidency to conclude it: we should open the 1st Intergovernmental Conferences with Albania and North Macedonia as a matter of priority.”- said Varhelyi.
What have been the reactions?
For Teuta Vodon, Secretary for Foreign Relations at the Socialist Party, today's decision by the EU foreign ministers was expected news.
While she was invited to the show 'Repolitix', she stated that Albania had fulfilled all of its duties required of it by the EU.
"It was news that was expected, unfortunately. On the one hand, we are somewhat relieved regarding the tasks we have done. It was the first time that all member states agreed, as is true that the Dutch parliament voted in favor of opening negotiations for Albania. This is undoubtedly a success, it shows that all the tasks have been done by the Albanian side, but on the other hand it shows the entire complexity of the European family." said Vodo.
Meanwhile, Zoran Zaev himself reacted from North Macedonia in a Facebook post, writing that his country has successfully completed the reforms stemming from the European agenda.
“North Macedonia has successfully completed the reforms that were marked as an obligation by the European agenda. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden and the current Chairperson of the OSCE, Ann Linde, has brought clear support from Sweden for the European aspirations of North Macedonia. We are honored to lead the OSCE in 2023, it is a recognition of the contribution of North Macedonia as a functioning multi-ethnic democracy. With the experience we have in solving problems and open issues, we will contribute to finding solutions to the challenges.”- writes Zaev.
We still have not received an official response from Prime Minister Edi Rama.
