BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2021) EU ministers of general affairs failed on Tuesday to agree principles that will guide the bloc's accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, Portugal's secretary of state for EU affairs said.
"Despite all efforts, it was not possible to agree on the negotiating framework for Macedonia and for Albania and hold the first intergovernmental conferences with these two candidates," Ana Paula Zacarias told a news conference.
Portugal will hand over presidency of the EU Council to Slovenia in July, which will inherit the fraught negotiations with the two Western Balkan nations as well as with Serbia and Montenegro.
EU ministers for European affairs agreed in March of last year to open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia. The European Commission drafted negotiating frameworks for the two candidate countries that need ministerial approval.
