The Portuguese Secretary of State, Ana Paula Zacarias, explained on Tuesday 11 May that the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council would continue to push for Albania and North Macedonia to be able to start their EU accession negotiations at the same time.
After the General Affairs Council, where enlargement was briefly discussed, the Secretary of State hoped that their first intergovernmental conferences could be held in June. She explained that she had made a start with the Macedonian and Bulgarian authorities.
Upon his arrival at the Council, State Secretary for Germany, Michael Roth, had hoped that bilateral problems could be solved at a bilateral level and not just at EU level.
European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, for his part, said his institution was working “very hard” to ensure that Skopje and Tirana had their first intergovernmental conferences as soon as possible.
Furthermore, the EU Council approved the application of the revised enlargement methodology in respect of accession negotiations with Montenegro and Serbia, after both candidate countries expressed their acceptance of the new methodology as presented in February 2020 (see EUROPE 12419/2). The changes will be taken into account in the existing negotiating boxes with Montenegro and Serbia at the next intergovernmental conferences, said the Council in a statement. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)