Group of MEPs request start of accession talks with Skopje and Tirana

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Over 20 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from different political groups asked the European's Council (EUCO) to secure the opening of the European Union's accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania before the end of 2020.

In a joint statement ahead of the EU ministers’ meeting, they called on the Council to stop postponing the accession talks with the two countries and approve the negotiating framework for Skopje and Tirana.

Warning the current stalemate in the talks threatened the EU’s credibility in the Western Balkans, MEPs called on Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia to find a compromise in resolving bilateral issues to avoid further delays in the accession process.

Bulgaria should approve the opening of an intergovernmental conference with Northern Macedonia as soon as possible, and certainly in December,
acknowledging the country’s efforts in the EU accession process.

Northern Macedonia, as a future country in the accession process, should also make every effort to solve unresolved issues, the MEPs said in the statement.

Albania also deserves to make progress in joining the EU, they added, due to comprehensive reform efforts over the past few years, especially in the justice sector, as well as the Commission’s positive assessment.

However, the MEPs warned that Albania also needed additional efforts in several areas, on the way to fulfilling all the conditions set in the Council’s conclusions.

The European Commission adopted the Enlargement Package in October, after which a date for the start of accession negotiations was to be set. Still, in November, the Bulgarian government said it would veto the opening of the talks with Skopje, demanding changes in the country’s negotiating framework.