The October European Council will discuss the opening of accession negotiations, following the failure of European Affairs Ministers on Tuesday 15 October to agree to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia.
However, last June (see EUROPE 12277/6), the ministers agreed to "reach a clear and substantial decision as soon as possible and, at the latest, in October 2019".
"In light of the EU Council's debate on the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania, the Presidency notes that the EU Council will return to this issue after the European Council", confirmed the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU in a statement published at the end of the EU Council.
French Secretary of State Amélie de Montchalin said that either the leaders would agree or they would give instructions to their ministers.
All eyes are now on the European Council. The Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, was clearly very disappointed, as was the Finnish Minister, Tytti Tuppurainen, who hoped that a positive outcome would still be possible this week. "Leaders will have the opportunity to discuss the subject in a broader context", the minister explained, adding that the vast majority of Member States were in favour of these openings, which require unanimity.
She called on the leaders to show courage. "What is needed is a positive signal, a green light" for openness, that leaders "correct" the non-decision of their ministers, Hahn said, adding that "any further postponement will damage our credibility in the region". According to him, the ministers' meeting was not "a moment of glory".
The EU Council's outcome, however, is not a huge surprise. Even before the EU General Affairs Council, it appeared difficult to open negotiations with Albania. As soon as he arrived at the EU Council, Dutch Minister Stefan Blok had suggested that his country would oppose opening membership talks with Tirana. "More work needs to be done", he warned, adding that "Albania is not yet ready to start accession negotiations". The Dutch Parliament had voted against opening negotiations in June. France, Denmark and Spain were, according to one source, also opposed to this.
And the decoupling attempt proposed by the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU - opening talks for North Macedonia and not for Albania - "to send a positive signal to the region", according to Finnish Minister Tuppurainen, also did not get a positive response. Some countries, such as Italy, are against decoupling.
If, on her arrival at the EU Council, Amélie de Montchalin had explained that she was not "in a veto position", it was France that blocked the decision. At the end of the EU Council, Ms de Montchalin considered that not all the reforms requested of the two countries had been implemented and that neither her country nor the Netherlands had called for new conditions. She considered that the lack of consensus at EU Council level was due to the fact that Member States approached the issue differently.
Beyond the opening of negotiations, France, supported by several Member States, wants a change in the accession process, which seems to be a prerequisite for any progress in the ongoing process. "We have in the room many countries that support this approach to reviewing the negotiations in its organisation", Ms de Montchalin said on her arrival, describing the process as "frustrating, slow for countries, which does not necessarily create confidence in Member States, because it is extremely diluted over time". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)