'The respective presidents of the European Council and European Union Commission voiced the desire on February 16 to maintain close relations with countries in the Balkans as the EU seeks to preserve credibility with them after membership hopes for Albania and North Macedonia were recently dashed.
"I think it is in our common geostrategic interest to have the Western Balkans as close as possible to the European Union," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels as an informal EU-Western Balkans meeting takes place on February 16-17.
European Council President Charles Michel said he looks "forward to a frank, intense, and open discussion" with the leaders of the six Western Balkan nations ahead of a key summit in Zagreb in May.'
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EU Says Accession For Balkan Countries Still Possible, February 17, 2020
ContextMacron Says Open To Starting EU Membership Talks With North Macedonia, Albania, February 15, 2020
'..Berlin, Paris and Brussels should make an effort to understand the real problem: clientelism.''..North Macedonia and Albania did what we asked them to do. Achieving that required a significant effort from their citizens..'