‘Historic moment’: EU opens accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia
Accession negotiations for North Macedonia and Albania started in Brussels on Tuesday in what was described as a "historic moment" for the two Western Balkans countries and for the European Union.
"What a historic moment," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters during a joint press statement with the leaders of the two countries.
"The people of Albania and North Macedonia deserve it, and we will all stand to gain when one day we welcome Albania and North Macedonia as full-fledged members of our European Union," she added.
For North Macedonia, this moment has been 17 years in the making as the country of two million inhabitants first became a candidate country in 2005. But its road to EU accession was until now paved with vetoes.
The first hurdle came ...