EU seeks to lift French veto on two Balkan countries

Bloomberg

European Union President Charles Michel sought to build momentum towards lifting a French veto on membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania.
Michel hosted a dinner in Brussels for top representatives of western Balkan
countries including North Macedonia and Albania. Last October, France blocked the EU’s goal of starting accession talks with both nations during the first half of 2020, insisting on tougher scrutiny to ensure their respect for the rule of law.
To address the French concerns, the European Commission proposed changes 11 days ago to the way the EU vets aspiring members by
giving more weight to “fundamentals,” including the functioning of the judicial system and democratic institutions.
The commission, the EU’s executive arm, wants the green light for entry talks with North Macedonia and Albania to come by a May 6-7 summit in Zagreb, Croatia.
“It’s an important meeting in the perspective of the Zagreb summit,” Michel told reporters before the dinner.
“The European perspective for these countries is very
important.”