EU Governments Reach Breakthrough Over Balkans Expansion Plan
- Ambassadors unblock entry path for North Macedonia, Albania
- Deal ends months of deliberations prompted by French veto
A pedestrian passes a row of national flags outside a government building in central Skopje, North Macedonia.
Photographer: Konstantinos Tsakalidis/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
European Union governments revived the membership hopes of North Macedonia and Albania by overcoming a French roadblock after months of deliberations, according to an EU official.
Envoys of the 27-nation EU recommended that the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, take the necessary step to trigger accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, the official said on the condition of anonymity.