The European Commission (EC) confirmed its recommendation to start negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania on their potential accession to the European Union, European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said Wednesday
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2019) The European Commission (EC) confirmed its recommendation to start negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania on their potential accession to the European Union, European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said Wednesday."Albania and North Macedonia have embraced the opportunity and delivered on reforms, in particular in the areas identified as crucial by the Council in June 2018. In light of the significant progress achieved and the relevant conditions being met, the Commission recommended today that the Council now opens accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia," the respective EC statement read.
Speaking at the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hahn noted that the European Union was to fulfill obligations with respect to the bloc's partners, especially North Macedonia and Albania.
"Albania and North Macedonia have embraced the opportunity of the reinvigorated enlargement agenda, and delivered on reforms. North Macedonia not only continued its ambitious reform agenda, but also reached a historic agreement with Greece, resolving a 27-year old name dispute, an example for the entire region and beyond. Albania is pursuing profound reforms, in particular a major transformation of its justice system. All these efforts are testimony to the power of attraction of the European Union," Hahn said as quoted in the EC statement.
He added that the process of negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, if a decision to start them was taken, would take several years.
At the same time, Hahn did not rule out that this process with one or the other candidate could move faster.
The European Union has granted four Western Balkan states with the status of an official EU candidate Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Each of them now is to negotiate the terms of accession and align their domestic legislation with EU law before joining.
