North Macedonia and Albania are crucial to the sensitive equilibrium of the Balkans. Both are already members of NATO and need to be inducted into the European Union family in order for them to be more tightly bound to the West, reads Greek daily Kathimerini.

The paper says that in terms of domestic criteria they still need to meet, neither Macedonia nor Albania can actually walk through the EU’s door right now, even though much progress has been made in this direction, mainly as a result of pressure from Brussels.

“The Eurocrats are well aware of the continuing shortcomings, but are more interested in creating a safety net to maintain stability and protect the Balkans’ so-called ‘soft underbelly’, reads Kathimerini.

It adds that Jean-Claude Juncker’s strategy of European enlargement is still the main tool to achieve this end, even though some member-states are reacting to the idea, mainly for domestic reasons.

According to the paper, Macedonia needs to be shielded from further interventions from Russia – among others – and the people of both countries must be given something to hope for so that they don’t become withdrawn and inward-looking.

“Domestic reforms should not be allowed to become an insurmountable obstacle; they can wait. After all, Brussels will be in a much better position to demand these reforms of the two countries as they travel the road to EU accession, which promises to be long and challenging, than if it shuts the door in their faces,” underlines Kathimerini.