Proposed Euro Parliament Resolution Advocates Balkan Enlargement

MEPs from the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament on Wednesday submitted a motion for a resolution condemning France for vetoing the opening of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia during the European Council summit last week.

Although both North Macedonia and Albania received support for their bid to start negotiations from a number of countries prior to the European Council meeting, at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron blocked the process, saying there is a need for EU reforms as a priority before any further enlargement.

The Greens' proposed resolution, which needs to pass a vote on Thursday at the European Parliament's plenary session following a debate on Wednesday, expresses its regret at the European Council's decision and stresses that "by failing to deliver on its promises and commitments to both countries, the EU risks losing credibility" in the Western Balkans region.

It says that the enlargement process "needs to be driven by objective criteria, and not by… internal politics or bilateral controversies" in EU member states.

The proposed resolution also calls on the European Council to "assume its responsibility and find a concrete compromise" at its next meeting in December.

The European Council stated last week that it has suggested revisiting the subject of enlargement no sooner than May 2020 at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb.

With European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's new enlargement strategy not expected before March 2020, and with France's presidential elections on the horizon in three years, experts don't believe that Albania and North Macedonia can realistically open their first chapters in the membership negotiation process sooner than 2022.