TIRANA, Oct 21 /ATA/ – To increase the respective influences in the Western Balkans, Russia, China and Turkey invest money and energy.
Emmanuel Macron, who aims to look like a forward-looking statesman is leading EU a step backwards to make that part of the world so close to us, prone to slides, Maurizio Caprara of Italian daily ”Il Corriere della Sera” writes.
In the last meeting of the European Council, the French President was against a date for opening of EU accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia.
President Macron’s stand sat well with Denmark and the Netherlands, whereas the Italian govt. led by Giuseppe Conte opposed the postponement of negotiations.
Some may think: what is the point of adding more coaches, when the train of European community is about to lose that of Great Britain!
The need for enlargement exists. Accession negotiations take years. The start does not necessarily mean their membership into EU will happen overnight. It is about encouraging them to further reforms of the political, legal and economic systems in directions that are different from the past, to safeguard competitiveness and diminish oligarchs and monopolies.
In exchange, it would offer the citizens of Albania and North Macedonia ruled by dictatorships in the previous century- the encouraging and stabilization perspectives , the prospect of integration in customs barrier-free trade and its political institutions.
This is the point: refusal to open accession talks is a burden on the shoulders of those pushing the two countries towards EU. It is support to those attempting to steer them away from the orbits of Russia, China and Turkey.
The driving force behind the postponement of accession talks should take stock.
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