TIRANA (Albania), June 27 (SeeNews) – The Council of the European Union said it agreed to respond positively to the progress made by Albania and Macedonia and set out the path for opening accession negotiations with both countries in June 2019.
The decision was part of the conclusions on the enlargement and stabilisation and association process with the Western Balkans that foreign affairs ministers of the European Union adopted at the last meeting of the general affairs council, the Council of the EU said in a statement late on Tuesday.
Despite progress, the Council said Albania needs to further consolidate progress made on judicial reform, deliver further tangible results in the fight against corruption at all levels and in the fight against organised crime, in particular on the cultivation and trafficking of drugs, maintaining and deepening the current reform momentum.
Macedonia needs to continue making concrete progress on the urgent reform priorities and to deliver further tangible results in the fight against corruption, maintaining and deepening the current reform momentum, the Council stated in its conclusions on enlargement and stabilisation and association process.
The Council granted the status of EU candidate country to Albania in 2014 and to Macedonia in 2015.