 |
| Johann Wadephul and Christian Schmidt |
The deputy chairman of the CDU / CSU caucus, Johann Wadephul, and the reporter in charge, Christian Schmidt, encouraged the two countries to continue their reform efforts.
"I call on both countries to get the European Council's negative vote, as an incentive to continue all the reform efforts. If countries backtrack, the doubters would strengthen. But if both countries remain on the course, Paris will not be able to halt accession negotiations a second time. The Bundestag is on the agenda. Germany stands firm for the European perspective of the Western Balkans," Wadephul said.
“The negative decision of the European Council must be reviewed at the appropriate time. The link between North Macedonia and Albania with the European Union should not be blocked. We hold the conviction that for all the Western Balkan countries, there is a place in the European Union if they meet the criteria. This ultimately involves starting the registration process. The Western Balkan countries work together on the remaining deficits. The Bundestag's conditional decision in September, which sets clear conditions for the opening of accession negotiations, also concerns of the Dutch and the Danish. If the EU does not care about the Western Balkans, other powers will make it their sphere of influence. Nobody wants it," Schmidt said.