Germany, in support of Albania/ Scholz, reserve for Greece

2023-12-13 15:25:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Germany, in support of Albania/ Scholz, reserve for Greece

German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz

During a government statement in the German Parliament for the EU Summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called, among other things, for more support and appreciation for the countries of the Western Balkans. Scholz recalled on the eve of the EU-Western Balkans summit, which begins work on Wednesday in Brussels, that "for 20 years, countries like Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have been waiting to 'became part of the EU' and added that now 'the time has come for everyone to see the big picture, both the candidates and the EU member states'. According to the German chancellor, this general panorama is "the historic chance to finally connect the region with Europe and leave the problems of the past behind."

"Countries that make reforms should be appreciated"

This call was addressed to the candidate countries, but rather to the EU member states, which according to Scholz should enable the internal reformation of the EU. Specifically, the German chancellor requested that the veto rule be removed for many steps within the enlargement process.

"There is no reason why every decision, such as the opening or closing of negotiation chapters, depends on each member country. If countries, such as Albania, have made important reforms, this should be evaluated. Otherwise, there is a risk of damaging the whole process of membership and we should not allow this", said the chancellor amidst the applause of many MPs in the hall.

The "Beleri" issue: Germany treats it as bilateral

The calls of the social democratic chancellor went indirectly to the address of Greece, which has threatened that it will not allow the opening of the first chapter of negotiations with Albania, without solving the "Beleri" issue. While for Greece, this is an issue related to the rule of law and minority rights, for Germany it is a bilateral issue and must be resolved within a bilateral framework. An attitude that German Chancellor Scholz emphasized a few weeks ago during the visit of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Berlin. The elected mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleri, has been in custody for seven months on the charge of "active corruption" for buying and selling votes.

Aid to the opposition CDU/CSU for North Macedonia

But the German chancellor was indirectly referring to the blockade that Bulgaria has been doing to North Macedonia for several years, due to a dispute over historical issues. The Social Democratic Chancellor asked the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for help in this matter: "I would be grateful, dear colleagues of the Union parliamentary group, if you would use your influence on the sister party to provide constructive help for a solution." , he said. The chancellor was referring to the current blockade of the opposition party VMRO/DPMNE on the amendment of the constitution, a condition demanded by Bulgaria.

Negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova

In his speech on the eve of the EU summit, Scholz expressed support for Ukraine as long as it needs it and promised to increase financial assistance to Ukraine if necessary. He spoke for the opening of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, as well as for giving Georgia the status of an EU candidate. This request is supported by both the ruling parties and the opposition CDU/CSU. The AFD parliamentary group, the other opposition faction left after the dissolution of the Die Linke parliamentary group, due to the new party created by Sahra Wagenknecht, is against EU enlargement, but for partnerships with these countries, as also with the countries of the Western Balkans, similar to Switzerland and Norway./ DW