
Albania and Northern Macedonia have again received the green light for the opening of negotiations.
The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament voted with 66 votes in favor, 4 against and 3 abstentions Isabel Santos's report on the European Commission's assessment of Albania's progress in European integration during 2021.
Praising Albania's continuation as a credible and committed foreign policy partner, fully in line with EU foreign, security and defense policy, the Santos report calls on the EU to "critically assess "Historically significant security implications for stability and unity on the European continent and in the Western Balkans in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine."
MEPs regret the failure to open delayed membership negotiations with Albania and northern Macedonia, stressing solidarity with the citizens of these countries.
This failure, according to them, undermines the public's attitudes towards the EU and is a serious risk to the EU enlargement policy as a whole. MEPs stress that both countries have met the conditions set by the European Council.
But despite support in the European Parliament, the opening of negotiations seems difficult due to the veto against Bulgaria over Northern Macedonia.
This attitude also affects Albania, as the European Union continues to treat the process for the two countries as one, despite the voices coming from Tirana to continue the integration stages without Skopje.