Albania and North Macedonia on the Road to EU Membership

In the wake of coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission welcomed the Council's decision to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia.

In the words of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commisstion,

“The European Union delivers on its promise.Today marks the start of the journey to a bigger and stronger European Union. And this decision is in the European Union's geostrategic interest.”

The negotiations round news is very well received by all sides. Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi commented: “Opening of accession talks sends a loud and clear message not only to the two countries, but to the Western Balkans as a whole. It reaffirms and delivers on the EU's commitment to the European perspective of the region: its present is with the EU and its future is in the EU”.   

The Commission will continue to monitor the progress and continued compliance of both countries in all areas of the conditions identified by the Council in June 2018 related to the opening of negotiations and to carry out and complete the process of analytical examination of the EU acquis with the two countries, starting with the fundamentals' cluster.

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