LUXEMBOURG, June 26 / ATA /- European Union countries gave a cautious green light to opening accession talks with Albania and Macedonia on Tuesday, tying the start of actual negotiations to progress on reforms.
The bloc’s European affairs ministers gave their approval for the process after the European Commission recommended in April that Albania and Macedonia have made enough progress to warrant the start of EU membership negotiations.
The decision hung in the balance for much of the ministers’ day-long meeting after the Netherlands and France had expressed concerns about corruption and the rule of law in the two EU hopefuls.
In the end, the bloc’s countries agreed to a compromise solution, requiring Macedonia and Albania to demonstrate progress on judicial reform and cracking down on corruption before the first talks can begin at the end of 2019. //a.i/
