Politico: Macron will budge on Macedonia and Albania only if he can get something in exchange

“France was the only country opposing talks with North Macedonia,” Politico cites diplomatic sources.

Another diplomat accused Paris of “acting already as if we were in a post-Brexit world where they think they can call all the shots.”

According to some diplomats, France will only budge when it’s clear what it can get in exchange on other dossiers, Politico writes.

Moreover, as Politico writes, many EU diplomats are angry that the Balkan countries aren’t being rewarded for their hard work of late.

North Macedonia for example, was instrumental in stemming the flow of asylum seekers crossing the Balkans during the 2015 migration crisis and it managed to reach a deal with Greece on changing its name, Politico writes.