Senior diplomats of EU member-states have told MIA that Macedonia will almost certainly be blocked by Bulgaria at the coming ministerial council of the Union, at which the negotiating framework was supposed to be adopted.
EU Ambassadors met Monday to discuss the conclusions to be adopted by the European affairs ministers on December 8, MIA reports from Brussels.
The option of including a date for the first intergovernmental conferences with Albania and Macedonia has been removed from the conclusions. The dates will be incorporated the negotiating frameworks once they are adopted, explain EU diplomats.
“Considering the current situation, I would say there is not much hope for an intergovernmental conference and the start of Macedonia’s accession negotiations this year due to Bulgaria’s veto,” a diplomat from a Union member-state has told MIA.
Bulgaria reiterated at Monday’s meeting it would not give the green light for North Macedonia at the December 8 meeting.
However, EU countries supporting the enlargement believe that conclusions should be more specific even if they do not incorporate any dates.
Consultations on the topic are ongoing and ambassadors are set to meet again on Wednesday.
