A comment by MEP Irena Joveva at the start of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania

Below you will find a short statement by Irena Joveva (Renew Europe), MEP and Vice-Chair of the Delegation to the EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee, on the occasion of the agreement reached in the EU to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia.

“I could sum up the current developments in two words: at last! The decision to open accession negotiations has unfortunately come (much too) late due to a politicised process in which the European Union has lost a lot of credibility in the region and, most importantly, people have lost trust. However, as today is really not the day to dwell on the past, I only want to believe that this decision will put an end to the unfulfilled promises and vetoes that for several years have unjustifiably prevented the two countries and their citizens from taking a well-deserved step forward. I also hope that today’s decision will give new impetus to faster and more decisive reforms in the region, and it could also trigger reflection on the reform of decision-making in the EU. The assessment of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, that this is a historic decision is correct. I am hopeful that this decision will lead swiftly to the actual EU membership of North Macedonia and Albania.”