German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the European Union must swiftly open accession talks with the Western Balkan countries to avoid the risk of outside influence.
The call comes as the enlargement process remains stalled with Albania and North Macedonia perpetually in the waiting room with Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina yet to get candidate status.
“It is clear for both Germany and Sweden that the EU must push ahead with institutional reforms to make itself capable of enlargement,” Scholz said in a news conference after meeting Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
The next opportunity for accession talks to be formally opened is in June but as it stands at the moment, little progress is expected. Bulgaria continues to veto North Macedonia over cultural and language issues, while Albania on paper has the support of the bloc’s 27. But with its progress tied to Macedonia’s it continues to be denied the next step.
Some in Brussels however have said that Albania only got a unanimous yes vote, because diplomats knew its fate was tied to vetoed North Macedonia. Thus making it a diplomatic yes vote with little substance.
Rumours are swirling that Sofia and Skopje are set to agree, with the former dropping its veto considering the ongoing war in Ukraine. Russia’s invasion and the risk of possible instability in the Balkans has led to calls to speed up the accession process even more.
On a visit to Albania in March, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said that Russian influence is a concern in the Western Balkans. He said that Albania had satisfied all conditions and was ready to continue the process.
