The fate of Albania, Northern Macedonia in the hands of Holland

The Dutch Parliament will discuss today EU enlargement and the two countries' approach.

For years, Albania and northern Macedonia have been trying to start EU accession talks, but without success. The Netherlands is mainly against starting accession negotiations, especially when it comes to Albania.

Germany has also rejected the start of negotiations, but the German Parliament recently decided to open talks, provided Albania and Northern Macedonia meet specific conditions, including here to ensure better functioning of the judiciary, as well as effective fight against organised crime.

While these are the same conditions as the Netherlands, the big question is whether the Dutch Parliament will make the same decision today as Germany.

The most important argument presented by the Netherlands to block the start of negotiations is corruption and organised crime in Albania and northern Macedonia.

On the other hand, the majority of countries supporting the start of accession negotiations for the two EU countries, such as Italy, Austria and a large number of Eastern European countries, believe it is precisely EU membership that can have a greater impact on these countries, Kosovo Press broadcasts.

Moreover, supporters of the start of the talks, the Dutch correspondent from Brussels for the NOS explains, are afraid of Russia's growing influence, which invests huge sums of money in these countries, and by opening negotiations they want to limit that impact.

Meanwhile, Albania and Northern Macedonia are working intensively to meet specific conditions.

In particular, Macedonia changed its name to the Republic of Northern Macedonia at the beginning of this year, ending a multi-year conflict with Greece, an EU member who insisted on changing the name, behind the province in northern Greece, bears the same name.

It was this name change that was one of the important conditions for North Macedonia's EU accession.

Moreover, northern Macedonia is struggling intensively with corruption, and Albanian authorities are seeking to curb corruption and organised crime.

Thus, in recent months an investigation was conducted against all judges who had to provide access to their bank accounts and show all real estate. Judges who could not prove the origin of large sums of money in real accounts or assets were suspended.

Meanwhile, two hundred judges have been convicted until nearly sixty percent of them return to court for corruption in the past.

Following today's debate in parliament, Dutch Minister Stephen Block will announce the Netherlands's decision at an EU meeting to be held in Luxembourg this weekend.

Only then will the EU make an official decision on possible accession of Albania and Northern Macedonia.

Albania and Northern Macedonia are not the only countries awaiting EU membership.

Candidate countries are also Turkey (Candidia since 1999), the accession negotiations began in 2005, Montenegro (Candidates from 2010), negotiations since 2012, Serbia (the candidate country since 2012, began accession negotiations in 2014), while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are awaiting candidate status for EU membership.