PEPE after the decision for Albania: This hurts regional interests

On the first day of the European Union Council summit, Denmark and the Netherlands joined France, expressing their opposition to the start of accession talks with Albania and Northern Macedonia.

Paris acknowledged Skopje's efforts, especially after the name change agreement with Greece, but in Albania's case, the three countries voiced concerns about the progress of needed reforms.

For Roland Freudenstein, director of Wilfried Martens politics, Center for European Studies, of the European People's Party PEPs, the position of the Macron government isolated the country, adding some “to recent French policy barriers to Europe”.

This also undermines EU regional interests”, he told EURACTIV, adding that the French veto essentially highlights a dilemma that is characteristic of other countries as well.

On one hand, there is widespread fatigue from the expansion among peoples, especially those in Western Europe, which also owe them the problems of rule of law in Poland and Hungary,” is expressed.

On the other hand, Freudenstein points out, there is the problem of Union credibility in the Western Balkans after accession talks were promised on a political level, writes Top Channel forwarding Klan Kosova.

Similarly, he underlines the danger that these countries will be pushed towards the open wing of Russia, China and Turkey, if the European bloc does not show that it is serious for enlargement.