EU accused of making ‘biggest mistake’ as Macron ferociously ripped apart by Germany
GERMAN foreign minister Heiko Mass has said that Berlin will continue to support North Macedonia and Albania slamming their accession block as the “biggest mistake”.
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Mr Maas said the strength of the EU is that it is able to find a solution on difficult subjects while claiming that the integration of the Western Balkans is important for the security of Europe. He made it clear during a visit to North Macedonia yesterday that Germany will continue to support the Western Balkan countries and their path to join the EU.
He has claimed the refusal of the EU Council of Ministers, of not allowing the Balkans to join the bloc, as the “biggest mistake” of the EU in more recent times.
In an interview with Deutsche Welle, he said: “For Germany, it is more than clear: the Western Balkans is a part of Europe.
“Their future should be within the European Union.
“More than a clear majority of EU members have opted for the start of negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia because it is also in our strategic interest”.
Berlin’s endorsement of increasing the size of the EU has become more and more clear since it launched the Berlin process, which is an annual summit of the six Western Balkan states.
The summit is aimed to form a way for the balkan states to access the bloc.
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Mr Maas also said to the publication: “Their future lies within the EU. A majority of EU countries are in favour of opening membership talks and have recognized their strategic importance.
“However, we need a majority within the EU and that’s what we’re working on to try and reach a common position.”
President Emmanuel Macron has made it clear he does not want new countries to join the EU.
'He has said that the bloc still need time to deal with the fallout of the financial crisis in 2008.
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Germany is North Macedonia’s most important trading partner for imports and exports.
Speaking of the Western Balkans, Maas said: “Their future lies within the EU. A majority of EU countries are in favor of opening membership talks and have recognized their strategic importance. However, we need a majority within the EU and that’s what we’re working on to try and reach a common position.”
Donald Tusk, the outgoing EU chief, has attacked Macron’s bid to block EU accession talks.
He claimed that the block undermined their shared vision of a “truly sovereign Europe”.
Macron has said that Brussels must reform its membership procedures.
The French President said the accession process was “no longer fit for purpose”.