The foreign and European affairs ministers of the EU member countries decided today to open membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania in light of the progress made by the two countries and the recommendations in the EU’s interim reports.

As the ministers from the Common Affairs Council held their meeting via videoconferencing, the decision will be made official tomorrow, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry announced. The European integration of the Western Balkans has been a foreign policy priority for the Bulgarian government for years because we believe that Bulgaria cannot be a prosperous country unless its neigubours are too, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry points out.