German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed his support for enlargement during a press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Berlin.
On Sunday, Rama touched down in Berlin, where he took part in an official welcoming ceremony. He met with the Mayor of Berlin, Franziska Giffey, the Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Scholz on Monday.
“The Western Balkans are part of the European family,” Scholz said, adding that “The Western Balkans and their accession to the EU is very important to me.”
A number of topics were on the agenda between the two leaders, including Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Albania’s integration, regional cooperation and bilateral relations between Albania and Germany.
Since Russia waged war on Ukraine, it has painfully demonstrated that the European achievements of the last decades cannot be taken for granted, Scholz said.
“Every day we have to work anew to live in an open space of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and prosperity,” Scholz said, adding that it is necessary to start the EU accession process for Albania and North Macedonia as soon as possible.
Albania’s bid to join the bloc has been linked to its neighbour, North Macedonia. While both countries have, on paper, satisfied requirements, Bulgaria has vetoed the latter over historical and human rights issues.
“Albania cannot wait any longer for the two neighbours to resolve their quarrel. Our course in that direction will fully change,” Rama said on Thursday in Tirana
Meanwhile, the feeling in Brussels is that enlargement is dead and that Albania only got a unanimous vote to continue accession because they knew the Bulgarian veto against North Macedonia would stop progress in its tracks.
However, other sources say that following Ukraine’s bid to join the EU, Albania and North Macedonia will get the green light in June. An opinion on the accession of Ukraine, including whether the process can be sped up, is expected during the same month.
After Scholz met the Austrian Chancellor in late March, he said, “We must take care to strengthen and support the neighbouring regions. Any further delay will make the Western Balkans more vulnerable and open to third-party influence.”
The chairman of the EU enlargement committee in the German Bundestag, Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter, told DW in an interview that he hopes the opening of negotiations will take place after the French presidential election. “I have the impression that the EU is also aware that the region and Europe will become more stable and stronger, with the membership of Albania and Northern Macedonia in the European Union,” he added.
