Brussels, 19 July 2022 (TDI): European Union initiated accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania on Thursday.
The accession talks began after the Macedonian parliament approved the French proposal to resolve disputes with Bulgaria.
EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia 🇲🇰 and Albania 🇦🇱 oficially commence here and we are honored to be a part of it during #EU2022CZ. PM @P_Fiala & President @vonderleyen welcomed PMs of Albania @ediramaal and North Macedonia @DKovachevski to Brussels. 🇨🇿🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/aeaKJ3YfPw
— EU2022_CZ (@EU2022_CZ) July 19, 2022
The EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen termed it a historic moment. She said that the European Commission has supported them all the way and will continue to do so.
🇦🇱🇲🇰 Today, Albania and North Macedonia open accession negotiations with the EU.
This historic moment is your success. The result of your hard work.
The @EU_Commission has supported you all the way. We will continue to do so.
https://t.co/pwPF51Bs17— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 19, 2022
Furthermore, she praised the two countries’ leaders for their commitment to European Values and labeled them reliable partners.
“We will all stand to gain when one day we will welcome Albania and Macedonia into the EU,” she added.
Dear @ediramaal and @DKovachevski, you have shown patience, vision and leadership.
And you have proven time and again your attachment to European values, as friends and reliable partners.
We will all stand to gain, when one day we welcome 🇦🇱🇲🇰 in the EU. pic.twitter.com/l79zrbIeRy
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 19, 2022
The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic congratulated both countries and called it a milestone for Albania and Macedonia.
Opening of the accession negotiations is a great milestone for Albania and North Macedonia. I congratulate both countries on this important step and wish them a smooth path to the European Union.
— Petr Fiala (@P_Fiala) July 19, 2022
Steps for EU membership:
EU joining is a cumbersome process.
The first step for EU accession is to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria. It demands, firstly, the candidate country must have a stable democracy, the rule of law, respect for Human rights, and protection of minorities.
Secondly, the country must have a functioning economy that can compete European Market.
Thirdly, the country must accept EU legislation, including the euro.
However, to start the negotiations, the candidate country only needs to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria, i.e., Stable democracy, the rule of law, respect for Human rights, and protection of minorities.
the candidate county has to fulfill other criteria during the negotiations.
Negotiations
Negotiations start with the consent of all the member countries. Any member country has the right to veto the accession talks. Negotiations occur between the ambassadors and ministers of the EU members and the candidate country in an intergovernmental conference.
A commission screens the country to determine how much the country is prepared to join the EU. The commission sends a screening report to each member country based on the findings.
The acquis is divided into 35 negotiating chapters, and negotiations on any of the chapters are not closed without the consent of all member states.
The agreement of all the Member countries is necessary to conclude the negotiations.
Albania’s EU membership
Albania, along with other members of Balkans countries, was considered a potential candidate for the European Union during the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003.
In 2009, Albania formally submitted its application for the European Union. Afterward, the EU designated Albania as candidate status in June 2014. The country did not start its accession talk due to its link to North Macedonia.
On 24 June 2022, the Bulgarian parliament lifted its veto on the accession talk with North Macedonia. Subsequently, the accession talks between the EU and the two countries resumed on 19th July 2022.
