French paper Le Monde reports that it was France and the Netherlands which blocked the opening of EU accession talks for Macedonia and Albania, while other countries also shared their view but “observed cautious silence”.

In June, Paris and Amsterdam already said no and were supported by Germany. The German Parliament supported the opening of talks but demanded that nine conditions linked to the rule of law are met first. Spain and Denmark also considered that Albania did not do enough with regard to its reforms, Le Monde writes, conceding that France faced the most of the criticism.

According to Le Monde, the two candidate countries responded with accusations that the move risks instability in the Balkans.

The France Inter radio criticized President Macron for his decision, calling it inexplicable. The radio claims that the French position caused a disturbance in Brussels and violated a promise that was given to the Balkans, reminding that Macedonia was forced to change its name and received guarantees that it return it will be allowed to open accession talks.