Merkel: Macedonia and Albania Have Met Conditions for Membership

Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a joint news conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama that Albania and Macedonia had met the conditions for membership in the European Union. “Both Albania and Macedonia have met the set conditions to start membership negotiations. Unfortunately, this was not achieved due to the Bulgarian veto, but we promised to be close to this process, because a lot of strength and energy has been invested in it,” Merkel said. For his part, Rama, who continuously criticizes the EU and compares the situation of the two countries with the drama “Waiting for Godot”, assessed that “we are hostages of nationalism within the EU”. “We are hostages of nationalisms in the EU. There are no nationalist governments in the EU, but unfortunately in some countries nationalists and the far right influence the decision-making of moderate governments. Even what is happening today is a hostage to the integration process from a nationalist wave in one country,” Rama said.