site.btaAlbania to Be Decoupled from North Macedonia on EU Accession Path, Ambassadors of EU Member States Decide Unanimously

Albania’s EU accession path will be decoupled from North Macedonia’s, with the first clusters of negotiation set to be formally opened on 15 October, according to a unanimous decision of Ambassadors of European Union member states on Wednesday (25 September), a spokesperson told Euractiv.

The two Western Balkan countries’ path to EU membership was coupled with the start of negotiations formally launched in the summer of 2022. However, due to disputes between Skopje and Bulgaria, the actual opening of chapters has been held up with no end in sight, directly impacting Tirana’s progress, Euractiv wrote. 

But now, the next step is set to be taken by Albania in mid-October in the framework of the intergovernmental conference and the opening of “Cluster 1 – Fundamentals”. This cluster includes several chapters – Procurement, Statistics, Judiciary and Fundamental rights, Justice, Freedom and Security and Financial control, Euractiv recalled. 

This is good news for Albania in its efforts to meet the requirements for advancing on its EU path, but it is a setback for North Macedonia, which once again fails to take a decisive step towards EU accession, the media outlet said.