Gerberich: Reason for not starting negotiations didn’t lie in Skopje and Tirana but in enlargement skepticism


German Ambassador to Skopje Thomas Gerberich said the reason for the delay in the start of accession negotiations did not lie in North Macedonia and Albania but in enlargement skepticism. Ambassador Gerberich told conference “Transition of Legal Systems: 30 years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall” at the Skopje-based Faculty of Law that the …

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Gerberich: Germany will continue to provide support as previously


German Ambassador to Skopje Thomas Gerberich in regard to European Council’s decision not to open EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia, said that the country is part of Europe and deserves nothing less than full EU membership. “. Please continue with these reforms and convince anyone who may have any doubts about your path to …

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Merkel: Chances for opening accession talks with N.Macedonia and Albania are not good


The chances of reaching a consensus at the EU Summit for opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania are not good, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Bundestag on Thursday, writes Deutsche Welle. “We have responsibility towards these countries. I think it’s worth giving a European perspective to North Macedonia and Albania,” said Merkel. …

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Roth: Germany supports opening of accession talks with N.Macedonia and Albania


Germany’s position is crystal clear. We support opening of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, German Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth said on Tuesday. “Our position is based on the voting of the German Bundestag. The European Union has committed itself to peace, stability, democracy and reconciliation in the Western Balkans, which …

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Still unknown whether Macron and Merkel discussed North Macedonia’s date for start of EU talks


President of France Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met on Sunday evening in Paris to have a working dinner and to discuss, amongst other things, the opening of EU negotiations with North Macedonia. Start of accession talks has been already approved by the Bundestag recently. Macron and Merkel’s working dinner is mainly focused …

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Merkel’s last chance to convince Macron not to block N.Macedonia and Albania


German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of France Emmanuel Macron are set to meet on Sunday, which diplomats see as the last chance to convince Paris to change its position on blocking the start of EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. “We hope Paris will reconsider its position and not allow being …

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Bundestag gives green light to negotiations, but not without conditions


German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reports that North Macedonia will receive a “full green light” for the start of accession negotiations, while the Bundestag will give a “dark green” light to Albania. According to the newspaper, the decision of the Bundestag of North Macedonia will grant the start of negotiations without additional conditions, …

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German Bundestag to give green light for start of EU accession talks tomorrow


Germany’s Bundestag will officially give the green light Thursday for the start of the EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, Deutsche Welle reports. Deputy PM for European Affairs Bujar Osmani will attend the session at the invitation of Bundestag President Wolfgang Schauble. Ruling parties CDU and SPD reached agreement yesterday to endorse the …

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Mitsotakis to tell Merkel that he will respect the Prespa Agreement


Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin to convey the view that the Greek government will respect the Prespa Agreement, Ekatimerini reports. “As far as the Prespa name Agreement is concerned, Mitsotakis has every reason to stress his position that Greek foreign policy is stable and that …

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German SPIEGEL: The myth of the SPO has collapsed


Katica Janeva was considered incorruptible, and right in front of the SPO building, in T-shirts with the three prosecutors – Janeva, Fetai and Ristovska, the “Colorful Revolutionaries” began their protests, trying to overthrow the nationalist-authoritarian regime of Nikola Gruevski, writes the German newspaper SPIEGEL. But with the Racket affair, this myth of the heroic SPO …

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Ambassador Schieb: North Macedonia’s EU accession negotiations will be known very soon


German Ambassador to Serbia Thomas Schieb hopes that the date for the start of North Macedonia’s EU accession negotiations will be known very soon. “Because of intensive harmonization, in Germany among others, the decision for the start of the negotiations has been delayed until October. Germany welcomes the great statesmanship achievement of North Macedonia and …

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Merkel: Germany stands firmly behind the European future of the Western Balkans


Germany stands firmly behind the European future of the Western Balkans and supports the countries from the region in their reform efforts, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet said. Due to the reports on the countries being released late, the deadline for opening accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania was too short. “Before making this …

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Merkel: Leaders in the region should follow Zaev and Tsipras’ example of courage


“Many German citizens have personal relations with people from the Western Balkans, many people from the Western Balkans live in Germany and represent a bridge between the countries. The people of these countries are our neighbors and their perspective is to join the EU while meeting all criteria,” Chancellor Merkel told Sunday’s video-podcast regarding this …

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Berlin will make the “right decision” over the date


German government spokesman Stefan Zibert in a statement for Nezavisen Vesnik/ Independent Daily newspaper said that Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel will do everything in her power to make the Bundestag make the “right decision” over the European Commission’s recommendation to start accession negotiations with North Macedonia, but that he cannot specify which week or month …

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Pendarovski for Der Spiegel: Our Plan B is start of accession negotiations by the year-end


The Prespa Agreement required enormous courage and vision, which I believe has been perceived in Germany. That is why North Macedonia has no Plan B. Our Plan B is start of accession negotiations by the year-end, says President Stevo Pendarovski in an interview with the web edition of German newspaper Der Spiegel. Referring to the …

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Pendarovski-Maas: Germany reconfirms strong support to North Macedonia’s EU integration


North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski met with Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday during his official visit to the country. President Pendarovski and German FM Maas agreed that both countries have fostered relations based on friendship, trust and mutual respect, the President’s Office said in a press release. President Pendarovski said Germany is North …

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