Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani announced that Macedonia will be given an unconditional approval to open its EU accession talks at the coming teleconference European Council in late March. This is not the first time the Government, including Osmani, have announced this will happen – including the infamous 2017 airplane photo featured here, and Osmani emphasized that he will wait for confirmation of this decision.

The 27 member states reached consensus after all the differences they had over the past 15 years. But let’s wait for it to be officially confirmed in the coming days, Osmani said.

Macedonia has been a candidate country since 2005, but in a first, it was not allowed to open accession talks as soon as she became the candidate. Greece objected to the opening of accession talks until the imposed humiliating 2018 Prespa treaty, but since day France picked up the baton and blocked the opening of accession talks with Macedonia in 2019.

Osmani said that he received the news while he was coordinating with EU counterparts on the coronavirus response. He said that Macedonia is going to tap into EU funds to battle the virus and has asked for less red tape in getting EU assistance to Macedonian farmers and companies.