The ruling conservative CDU-CSU coalition in Germany called on Macedonia and Albania to see the failure at the European Council as an encouragement to work even harder toward EU integration.

I ask both countries to look at the negative vote in the European Council as a push for further reforms. If both countries maintain their course, Paris will not be able to block the opening of accession talks for a second time. Germany supporters the European perspective of the Western Balkans, said Johann Wadephul, deputy head of the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag.

Christian Schmidt from the CSU added that Germany considers the whole of the Western Balkans as future part of the European Union.

Germany was not among the first supporters of the opening of accession talks, but the Bundestag approved the move before the October European Council. At the same time, Germany and Italy opposed decoupling Macedonia from Albania, which undermined the hopes that at least Macedonia will open the accession talks.