04/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - Füle pessimistic about opening of accession negotiations in December. On 3 December, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle said he was pessimistic about the possibility of the Council giving its agreement to open accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in December. “Prospects for December Council discussions (and beyond) are gloomy”, he said in a speech at the Friends of Europe conference - Western Balkans: Fast lane, slow lane. Füle said he was concerned about FYROM's domestic political situation, with tension between the government and opposition. Füle also noted that there are “no tangible results” on the name issue within the process under United Nations auspices. On 16 October, the European Commission recommended - for the fifth consecutive year - the opening of negotiations with FYROM. Greece and Bulgaria are opposed to this. (CG/transl.fl)