French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that there will be no enlargement of the European Union until the institutions are better integrated and a deeper EU is made capable of facing off its global rivals. This bodes badly for Zoran Zaev’s promise that, after his failure at the latest European Council summit in June, Macedonia will open accession talks in October.

We can’t hold talks with wold leaders, in this ever more violent world, and be a club that meets with 28 members and can’t ever decide anything. We have to profoundly change our rules. We will not be credible in the eyes of our citizens and it will be impossible to enlarge the EU in any way, until we have reformed the workings of our inter-governmental system, a visibly agitated Macron said after the failure of EU leaders to divide the top positions between the three groups – the conservatives, socialists and the Macron led liberal-democrats.

Macedonia is in a group with ever more tense Albania, and hopes to open accession talks in October. What Zaev promised would be a routine decision after the humiliating name change he imposed on the country, is now complicated because of objections from France.