Former Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki says that a total of seven countries objected to Macedonia and Albania opening EU accession talks this summer. In a clear east – west divide, the following Western European countries were opposed, Milososki says: France, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium and Spain.

A dozen mostly Visegrad and central European countries were in favor: Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Greece, which blocked Macedonia from opening accession talks since 2009, was not opposed this time, as a result of the Prespa treaty, but it was not a supporter either.

Greece and the rest abstained!, Milososki says. The Zaev regime was promising that the Prespa treaty means that Greece will move from an implacable No vote to a strong Yes vote.

The Macedonian Government insisted over the past year that accession talks will begin in June 2019, and used this promise to push for the imposed name change. But, European foreign ministers decided to postpone a decision for October in face of opposition from France and the Netherlands and delaying tactics from Germany. Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn also made statements in the line that Macedonia will remain coupled with Albania, which is going through a political crisis similar to the one initiated by SDSM in Macedonia in 2015.