Albania, North Macedonia finally start EU membership talks

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama are welcomed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, Belgium July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Stringer

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Albania and North Macedonia began membership talks with the European Union on Tuesday, overcoming a series of obstacles thrown up by EU governments despite an original promise to begin negotiations in mid-2018.

The start of formal negotiations to allow the two Balkan countries to eventually join the world's largest trading bloc are a breakthrough but have revealed the EU's lack of appetite for further enlargement, particularly in northern Europe.