Brussels, 11/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 11 December at the time of going to press, European foreign affairs ministers were still discussing the enlargement process - particularly the opening, or not, of accession negotiations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). In its progress report, published on 10 October, the European Commission recommended for the fourth consecutive year the opening of these negotiations alongside settlement of the name (see EUROPE 10707). A dozen or so countries would be inclined to give a date for opening the negotiations - with Austria in the lead. The Austrian secretary of state, Reinhold Lopatka, said on his arrival in Brussels that the accession negotiations should begin and that a date for the start of the negotiations should be given. He added that FYROM has been a candidate since 2005 and fulfils all the criteria.
However, at least two countries are blocking the opening of negotiations. During discussions at ambassador level - which were very tense according to some sources - Greece remained resolute, wanting the name to be settled before opening negotiations. Bulgaria - which previously supported a date for opening the negotiations - did an about turn due to neighbourhood issues linked to the nationalist reflections of Skopje towards Sofia (see EUROPE 10723). The office of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said on Tuesday, before discussions began at the Council, that his country would not support a date for the start of negotiations, saying that Bulgarian support for the accession of Macedonia to the EU was conditional upon their good neighbourhood relations.
Serbia and Kosovo in discussion. Upon arrival at the Council, the Cypriot minister for foreign affairs said that two paragraphs relating to Serbia and Kosovo were also due to be discussed. The Czech minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, wanted the European ministers to take a decision on the opening of negotiations with Belgrade, highlighting that there had been “such progress in the discussions with Kosovo”. (CG/transl.fl)