The German Bundestag voted in favor of allowing Macedonia and Albania to open EU accession talks.

The vote for Macedonia was 476 in favor, 122 against, and 16 abstained. It was preceded by a debate during which a dozen members of Parliament expressed support for bringing the Balkan countries even closer to the EU.

Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani was in Berlin for the vote. The Zaev Government was hoping that Germany will approve this measure as early as the summer, when Zaev promised a July date to open accession talks. When France and the Netherlands expressed their reservations, Zaev was hoping that he can count on Germany to push these two countries to relent. Instead, it turned out that because no vote was held in the Bundestag, Germany itself was not able to support the opening of accession talks and the decision is postponed for mid October, when Macedonia and Albania will have to fend off the repeated criticism led by France.