In a most recent interview with Germany’s dpa news agency, Chancellor Scholz stated that the European Union must prepare itself for enlargement and modernize its structures and decision-making processes.

“It is important to me that we now offer very concrete progress to those who were promised almost 20 years ago that they could become members of the European Union. Otherwise the feeling arises that candidate status leads to nothing. We must show the Western Balkan countries that we are serious. Albania and North Macedonia meet all the requirements for starting concrete negotiations on EU accession and these negotiations should start now,” German Chancellor stated.

He called for reforms in the EU to relax enlargement process and allow more new members to join the bloc.

“In addition, the European Union must prepare itself for enlargement. To do this, it must modernize its structures and decision-making processes. It will not always be possible to decide unanimously on everything that has to be decided unanimously today. And that is what we will have to discuss at the EU summit, along with many other issues,” Scholz said.

/DW/u.sh/