The European Commission (EC) President Jean-Claude -Juncker described the European Union decision not to set a date for the opening of accession negotiations as "a grave historic mistake," while Tanja Fajon, an MEP blamed Paris and said France was playing a dirty game, the Beta news agency reported on Friday,
The two joined the outgoing EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn who tweeted he was disappointed with the decision.
Juncker said that “if the EU wants to be respected, it should respect its commitments.”
Donald Tusk, the head of the European Council (EUCO), also described the EU failure to decide on the date as a mistake and added “a huge majority of states was in favour of the opening of negotiations.
Fajon, also the Chairwoman for the Delegation for Serbia, was more concrete, blaming Paris for blocking the yes vote.
I am extremly disappointed #EUCO missed yet another opportunity to demonstrate that enlargement matters and that we keep our promises. #EU has again been taken hostage by #France?? which does not understand and continues to undermine our own #EU?? interest in the Balkans. 1/2
— Tanja Fajon (@tfajon) October 18, 2019
She wrote that once again, France took the EU as a hostage and continued to undermine the Union's interests in the Balkans. “France is playing a dirty game, and I'm afraid that we all will pay the price. It is inadmissible,” Fajon wrote.
Tusk told people in Albania and North Macedonia no to give up since he believed they would join the EU one day for sure.
I would like to send a message to our Macedonian and Albanian friends: don’t give up! You did your share and we didn’t. But I have absolutely no doubt that you will become full members of the European Union.https://t.co/8G5z2NjHPr pic.twitter.com/xgTjKS0HML
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) October 18, 2019
