The European Affairs Ministers of the EU Member States will try, on Tuesday 14 December at the ‘General Affairs’ Council of the EU, to reach an agreement on a text of conclusions on enlargement, which has been under discussion for five weeks.
According to a European diplomat, the 30-page text is “strong and well drafted” and sends “many clear messages to the people and governments in the Western Balkan countries and Turkey”. However, four Member States still have some own requirements related to internal policy elements”.
Firstly, Bulgaria continues to stall on North Macedonia, due to a bilateral dispute that prevents progress on the opening of EU accession negotiations with Skopje and, by extension, with Albania.
Greece would also like to see the Prespa agreement mentioned twice, as opposed to once at present, once in the general text on enlargement and once in the section on North Macedonia.
The section on Bosnia and Herzegovina is also not finalised, as discussions are still ongoing on constitutional and electoral reforms in that country. On this issue, it is Croatia that is said to have difficulties.
Greece and Cyprus have reservations about the text on Turkey. Athens wants a reference to the Turkish military air threat near the Greek coast and Nicosia wants an addition on the town of Varosha (see other news) and on the migratory pressure the island is under.
Already last year, the Member States were unable to reach agreement and no conclusion was reached. According to this diplomat, if history repeats itself, it would be “serious for the EU and its enlargement project”. This diplomat said he hoped that in the event of continued disagreement on the conclusions, a statement by the Slovenian EU Council Presidency could be issued. However, the diplomat added, if the four countries continue to block, this would prove to be impossible. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)