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Macedonia and Albania. However, such a decision requires unanimity, and there was no unanimity yesterday [October 17],” Tusk said in the statement.
However, Tusk sent a message to "Macedonian and Albanian friends: don’t give up!
“You did your share and we didn’t. But
I have absolutely no doubt that you will become full members of the European Union,” the European Council head said.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn also expressed extreme disappointment that Skopje and Tirana were not allowed to start accession talks. North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia) has been a candidate since 2005 and Albania since 2014.
“EU leaders failed to live up to their commitment,” Hahn said in a tweet.
All EU members except Denmark, France and the Netherlands were in favour of opening the accession talks, fearing
that by not inviting the countries to
start negotiations the union will send the wrong signals to the fragile Western Balkans region and destabilise it.
Senior EU officials are worried that
not launching membership talks with Skopje and Tirana will increase Russian, Turkish and Chinese influence in the Western Balkans.
Government representatives and citizens in both countries expressed deep disappointment over the rejection.
Following the negative EU decision, North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski expressly said that the conclusions of the EU Council fell short of the country’s expectations and the previous EU promises.
“While we are disappointed we must soberly face the new reality,” Pendarovski said, adding that the country should continue reforms and the fight against organised crime and high-level corruption, and develop European values.
Pendarovski invited leaders of all political parties to a meeting on October 20 to discuss the issue and to reaffirm North Macedonia’s EU perspective.
“Now is the time to show unity around our strategic goals,” Pendarovski noted.
However, the leader of main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party Hristijan Mickovski called for a snap general election and the resignation of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
Zaev said before the EU leaders’ meeting that he would resign if Skopje failed to obtain a date to start EU membership talks, but he has not yet made a decision. Media reported that some EU leaders, including Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, told Zaev that it would be better for the country if he does not file his resignation.
For Albanian leaders the decision was expected as the Netherlands had openly said before the summit that it would not allow the start of talks with Tirana.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the decision was a result of EU internal problems and different approaches to the EU’s future among member states.
“We will continue to build European Albania in our country because that is what the whole process is about,” Rama said.
The latest delay of the EU enlargement process for North Macedonia and Albania is seen by experts as discouraging for the EU perspectives of all countries in the region.
In the Western Balkan region, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo also seek to join the bloc.
Montenegro and Serbia have already launched EU membership talks. The prospects for Montenegro are brighter as the tiny country does not have unresolved issues with it neighbours.
However, Serbia needs to normalise relations with Kosovo, which is one of the most painful issues in the region, before making further progress in its EU path.
The last country that joined the EU was Croatia, in 2013.
A new era in Kosovan politics as opposition
parties prepare to form government
Valentina Dimitrievska in Skopje
Kosovo’s opposition Vetevendosje and Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) are most likely to form a new coalition government after the two parties won most of the votes in the October 6 snap general election.
The vote put the two parties on around one-quarter of the vote each with Vetevendosje slightly ahead, as voters
fed up with official graft and persistent poverty turned to the opposition.
They are already talking about forming a ruling coalition together, which could lead to the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) being excluded from government for the first time since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. After 98% of the votes were counted,
the central election commission said that Vetevendosje won 25.55% of the votes and LKD 24.86%. The PDK, part of the current ruling coalition, was in third place with 21.13%. Turnout was slightly over 43%.
Supporters of Vetevendosje celebrated in Pristina after results were announced. The party’s leader Albin
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