North Macedonia

Leaders of major political parties in North Macedonia, including those in the ruling coalition, agreed to hold a snap parliamentary election on April 12 after the European Union failed to give the country a date to start talks on joining the bloc. 

Northern Macedonia holds early elections on April 12th.

An official government will be appointed on January 3. This was agreed by the leaders of the main political parties in the country after a meeting with President Stevo Pendarovski.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on Saturday that "swift snap elections" should be held "as soon as possible" after France refused to give up its opposition to giving North Macedonia a start date for EU membership talks.

Despite the support of 25 member-states, the European Council has rejected the launch of accession talks with North Macedonia, essentially leaving its Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in a political lurch, given that he had plugged the contentious Prespes agreement with Greece to his people as the ticket that will open the gates to Europe.

European Union leaders failed Friday to agree on launching membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia in an embarrassing climb-down that could risk inflaming the volatile Balkans region.

The two countries had expected to receive a green light to begin negotiations on joining the European club, a process which could take several years.

EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Friday failed to persuade France to allow a hoped-for start to accession talks for North Macedonia and Albania - and also failed to agree on a written conclusion, which, in the absence of a date for EU talks, would have sent a positive message to Skopje and Tirana about their further engagement in the process.

EU leaders have failed to agree to launch accession talks with northern Macedonia and Albania, NOVA TV reported.

Talks in Brussels continued on Friday on the European Union accession prospects of North Macedonia and Albania after tense talks ended in a deadlock the previous night on objections from France, The Netherlands and Denmark, who strenuously oppos the position of the other 25 member-states to commence negotiations with the two Balkan nations.

The decision was not reached despite all night long dramatic discussion, and despite the warnings that turning Tirana and Skopje away would tarnish the EU's reputation and could risk inflaming the Western Balkans region.

Diplomatic sources say that EU leaders struggled past midnight in a tense debate to reach common conclusions in a bland statement offering encouragement to the candidate countries, and yet postponing a formal decision for accession talks.