EU foreign ministers today blocked the much-awaited start of accession talks for FYROM and Albania.
The foreign ministers, attending the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, decided that accession talks could start in 2019, under certain conditions, and not immediately, as the two countries and Athens had hoped.
However, due to the strong objections of France, The Netherlands, and Denmark, the EU foreign ministers agreed on a compromise solution, according to Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.
Following bilateral contacts between the ministers, the proposal involves gradually opening EU accession chapters up until the summer of 2019, both for FYROM and Albania.
Following the signing of the FYROM-Greece naming accord, Skopje was hoping to immediately receive a date for the start of accession talks at the upcoming EU summit, on 28-29 June.
“There were two different lines – 25 countries wanted to start accession talks by the summer of 2019. On the other side you had Germany, The Netherlands, and Denmark, which sought a postponement,” Kotzias said after the Council meeting.
“I explained that, for geostrategic and geopolitical reasons, the current situation demands assistance for the two countries of the region, and not yet another postponement. I also explained that the domestic situation demands stability and security, and not new problems,” Kotzias underlined.
