Former Bulgarian Prime Minister and leader of the opposition Boyko Borisov asked Prime Minister Krill Petkov to bring a proposal to pave the way for the opening of negotiations for Albania and North Macedonia.The reaction of the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, was immediate.

 “We thank the opposition leader Borisov for making a historic decision for Europe and for accepting the negotiations with North Macedonia based on the French proposal that allows the continuation of the opening of membership negotiations with North Macedonia.

“We expect the government to make the necessary proposals to Parliament today so that Europe can move forward,” Varhelyi wrote.

The European Union summit, to be held in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, will award candidate status to two countries, Ukraine and Moldova, and reiterate the EU’s commitment to the membership prospects for the Western Balkans.

A first progress assessment report on compliance is expected as part of the Commission ‘s regular enlargement package by the end of this year. EU leaders in Brussels are expected to sign last week’s recommendation from the European Commission to grant Ukraine and Moldova EU candidate status.

According to the draft conclusions, the aim is to provide a platform for political coordination for European countries across the continent. The initiative may concern the Western Balkans, the associated countries of our Eastern Partnership, the EFTA countries and all other European countries with which the Union has close relations.

“The European Union expresses its full and unequivocal support for the prospect of EU membership for the Western Balkans and calls for the acceleration of the accession process,” reads the draft document to be presented at the summit.

/Klara Ruci/