The Dutch government now backs the EU accession bids of Albania and North Macedonia despite blocking negotiations for both Balkan countries with France and Denmark in 2019. Skopje’s accession bid is currently held up by a veto from Bulgaria over shared language and history, while Tirana’s EU progress is tied to that of North Macedonia. Back in May, the European Parliament urged the European Council to begin negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia on EU membership, noting “the geostrategic context of relations with Russia and its aggression against Ukraine.”Prime Minister Mark Rutte is now in favour of Albania and North Macedonia’s EU accession bids, Dutch broadcaster De Telegraaf reports. In 2018, he said Albania and North Macedonia would ​​”weaken the entire Union”, citing corruption and a lack of press freedom. Back in May, he and German chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed ​​accession of North Macedonia and Albania during a press conference in The Hague.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 13, 2022 04:37 UTC