The European Commission will recommend opening negotiations for two Western Balkan countries, Albania and Macedonia.
This is what Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn stated for the German daily “Die Welt”.
“The European Union Commission will recommend to member states the opening of negotiations with Albania and Macedonia, probably in summer”,
Hahn said.
The people of these two countries deserve a concrete European perspective, Hahn said.
“We believe that both countries have made important reforms in the past, qualifying for the next step. Albania has done a lot in the fight against organized crime
”, he further added.
The European Commission’s recommendation is a prerequisite for the decision of the member states to open membership negotiations. Albania has been candidate since 2014, while Macedonia has been since 2005.
Earlier in February, the European Commission presented the strategy for the Western Balkans. This authority recommended the year 2025 as the likely date of entry into the EU of Serbia and Montenegro.
“This is an approximate date and not guaranteed, to force the Western Balkans, but also the European Union to be seriously committed to the membership process, which has been promised for years”
, Commissioner for Enlargement Hahn said./tvklan.al
