Balkan nations’ EU talks stall

A MAJORITY of EU governments led by Italy sought yesterday to make good on a promise to open EU membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania, which face further delays to their hopes of joining the bloc from northern Europe.

Europe ministers met in Luxembourg almost a year to the day since they unexpectedly postponed a decision to open talks with the two countries and cast doubt on the EU’s Balkan strategy.

“We need to keep up the momentum,” George Ciamba, Romania’s European affairs minister, said. Italy’s Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero said there needed to be a final agreement.

Despite a European Commission recommendation on May 29 for North Macedonia and Albania to start talks, Germany’s parliament has pushed back any decision until September and the Dutch lower house has rejected opening negotiations with Albania.

France has also shown reluctance, calling for the EU to sort out its own internal problems before admitting new members.

EU diplomats

said

that anti-immigration sentiment in northern Europe lessened appetite in Paris, Berlin and The Hague, while in a further complication, Cyprus has threatened to veto any agreement unless the EU confronts Turkey over drilling in their territorial waters in the Mediterranean.

Issues raised by Cyprus “have nothing to do with the enlargement,” Moavero said.

“The open issues are mostly linked to the vote in the German parliament which has been postponed to after summer.”

(Reuters)