A wide array of issues, at a critical juncture on multiple fronts, will be on the agenda at the EU Summit, which starts today and ends tomorrow. 

One of the main issues on the agenda is the accession process of the Western Balkan countries, for which a ‘double thriller’ is underway, focusing on Bulgaria and Skopje, according to Kathimerini. 

Kiril Petkov’s government in Sofia received a no-confidence vote (123 out of 239 deputies voted against it), undermining hopes of resolving the stalemate over Skopje and Albania over their European perspective.

The Prime Ministers of Skopje and Albania and the President of Serbia announced yesterday that they will finally attend Brussels, despite their strong annoyance with the constant delays in the progress of their accession process. 

In a Twitter post the day before yesterday, Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, said he had extensive consultations with the leaders of Serbia and Skopje, accusing Bulgaria of “keeping [the EU] hostage” and wondered what their presence in Brussels meant.

A senior European diplomatic source noted that the summit with the Western Balkans was aimed at putting pressure on Sofia to start accession talks with Skopje and Albania. 

In a significant development yesterday, former Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, announced that his party (GERB) supports the lifting of the veto against the start of accession talks in Skopje, based on the compromise proposal submitted by the French European Council.

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Borisov called on Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, to immediately raise the issue before parliament. If he does, he said, “he will have 59 MPs (including the GERB parliamentary group) who will give the green light to Skopje and Albania.” It is recalled that the veto, which is linked to historical differences between the two countries, language issues, and the Bulgarian minority in Skopje, was put in place in 2020 under Prime Minister Borisov.

In the event that there is a majority in favor of lifting the veto, noted the same source, the EU can show considerable procedural flexibility to accelerate the formal opening of accession negotiations for both Skopje and Albania.

The defeat of the government in the vote of confidence complicates the situation. The quadripartite coalition formed six months ago collapsed earlier this month, mainly on the issue of a veto on Skopje. 

It is now possible that the country will be forced to hold elections for the fourth time in the last 15 months, although it is possible that a new government will emerge without the need to end up at the polls.

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Turkey 

Regarding the issue of Turkey, government sources say that the Prime Minister will also raise the issue of Turkish provocation, as Greece has asked for a relevant report to be included in the conclusions of the European Council. It is recalled that in the draft conclusions there was a strict reference to Ankara, as the “27”, based on the draft, once again call on Ankara to respect international law and to proceed with de-escalation moves in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The relevant excerpt of the draft specifically stated: “The European Council has expressed deep concern over the repeated recent actions and statements of Turkey. Turkey must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all EU member-states. Recalling its previous conclusions and the declaration of 25 March 2021, the European Council expects Turkey to fully respect international law, to de-escalate tensions in the service of regional stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and promote good neighborly relations in a sustainable manner.

Candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova

European Council President, Charles Michel, expressed his confidence at the summit that EU leaders will today grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova.

“Extended community”  

Tonight, meanwhile, the French idea of ​​an enlarged European “political community” is expected to be discussed, which will meet regularly and include member-states and other non-EU European countries. This proposal remains very general at this stage. 

This scheme is part of an effort to strengthen cooperation with candidate countries and enjoy more benefits from their association with the EU before formally joining. Yet, the composition of the new scheme – and whether it will include the United Kingdom, which has exited, or Turkey, which is steadily moving away from European standards and values, still needs to be clarified.

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