The conclusions adopted by the European foreign ministers today include some words of praise for Macedonia, but the main issue, the agreement that accession talks will begin at a set date, is lacking. Despite much pressure from the European Commission to open the talks, the member states agreed only to “take good note” of the Commission proposal and kicked the can down the road to October.

Reaffirming its conclusions of 26 June 2018, the Council strongly welcomes the historic and unprecedented Prespa Agreement, as well as the Treaty on Good Neighbourly Relations with Bulgaria, and takes good note of the Commission’s recommendation to open accession negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia based on its positive evaluation of the progress made and of the fulfillment of the conditions identified by the Council. In light of the limited time available and the importance of the matter, the Council will revert to the issue with a view to reaching a clear and substantive decision as soon as possible and no later than October 2019, the conclusions say.

In a separate paragraph, the Prespa treaty is praised some more: “The Council strongly welcomes the historic Prespa Agreement, which represents a significant achievement, setting a positive example for the region and beyond. It commends the courage and determination of the parties involved”. And yet, what Zoran Zaev promised would be a technicality after the treaty – opening accession talks, was again out of reach.

A similar conclusion is made for Albania, and during his press conference Commissioner Johannes Hahn indicated that the two countries remain “coupled” in a group of sorts.