Kukan: North Macedonia could receive a date for the start of negotiations in the fall

“North Macedonia has been meeting the criteria for years, but the Union has been postponing the opening of accession negotiations, which is absolutely embarrassing and demotivating,” says Kukan in an interview with the Slovak Foreign Policy Association.

North Macedonia, the Slovak diplomat says, could be given a specific date at the European summit in the fall, which I consider realistic, while (France President) Emmanuel Macron had very categorical statements on the issue, it seems that he is already easing them.

While he is aware that Tirana is also waiting for a similar step, Kukan believes that the situation Albania is completely different.

“They have to implement a huge judicial reform, the opposition boycotts the parliament and, above all, the Albanians cannot find compromises”, he states. “It would be unrealistic for Albania to receive the date at the moment.”

Eduard Kukan chaired the Western Balkans Working Group during his time in the European Parliament.