Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani and Albanian Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Sokol Dedja stressed on Thursday 5 November the importance of reaching agreement at the General Affairs Council on 10 November on the negotiation box for accession of their two countries, thus enabling the first Intergovernmental Conferences (IGC) to take place before the end of the year.
“Holding the first Intergovernmental Conference this year during the German Presidency is a logical and consecutive step” following the opening of negotiations decided in March (see EUROPE 12454/31), explained Mr Osmani during a videoconference on the subject of ‘The Western Balkans beyond 2020, actions and decisions in times of pandemic’. According to him, this IGC would give an “enormous impetus, first of all to internal reforms, but also to the region”. “The stakes are high”, he insisted.
For his part, Mr Dedja considered the decision to hold this first conference as a “very important test”. “This is very important because it is not easy to maintain the determination of society and State institutions without tangible results that clearly indicate that the goal is attainable”, he explained. The Albanian Minister therefore advocated for a “strategic approach”, “which is not hostage to withdrawal, short-term thinking in terms of electoral politics, etc.”.
Member States’ ambassadors to the EU are due to discuss the negotiating box for accession with the two countries again this Friday 6 November. The outcome of the discussions is still uncertain (see EUROPE 12590/18).
Although in its progress report of 6 October (see EUROPE 12575/11) the European Commission considered that Albania had already made decisive progress and was close to fulfilling the conditions set by the EU Council for the first IGC, several Member States still have doubts about the country’s readiness. As far as North Macedonia is concerned, although progress has been made in the disputes with Bulgaria and despite discreet mediation by the German Presidency of the EU Council, it is not certain that this is sufficient to enable Sofia to give its agreement. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)