Accession of Macedonia to the European Union

Macedonia this week is starting the technical screening process to assess its readiness for EU accession talks, which, according to plan, could start in June next year.

On his arrival on Skopje on Tuesday, Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn will meet Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi and the main opposition VMRO DPMNE party leader Hristijan Mickovski.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov has promised a box of tomatoes for each country that will support the start of negotiations on the accession of the Republic of Macedonia to the European Union.

Athens on Wednesday hit back at the European enlargement commissioner for saying a solution to the "Macedonia" name talks is within reach, noting that the decision was not one for Brussels to make.

The European Commission could recommend on Tuesday opening the accession negotiations for two Balkan countries, Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, New Europe reported.

Skopje and Athens agreed this year to intensify negotiations to end the dispute blocking FYROM's accession to the European Union and NATO.

Greece and Macedonia are optimistic about finding a solution to the dispute over Macedonia's name that has marred bilateral relations and hampered Macedonia's EU and NATO accession, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and his Macedonian counterpart, Nikola Dimitrov, said in Skopje.

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell told journalists in Skopje on Tuesday that the current conditions for reaching a compromise on the long-running name dispute between Macedonia and Greece are "better than they have ever been".

Mitchell added that "we want to make the best of those opportunities".

The European Union will recommend starting accession talks with Albania and the Republic of Macedonia, widening the bloc's push into the Western Balkans, according to Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

Amid growing optimism about a possible breakthrough in the dispute over Macedonia's name, which has hampered its plans to join NATO and start accession talks with the EU, the UN mediator, Matthew Nimetz, is due to arrive in the region next week for talks with Greek and Macedonian leaders.

Amid silence from officials in Athens and Skopje, most media in both countries have speculated that the latest ideas suggested by the UN mediator Matthew Nimetz during the last round of talks in New York on January 17 contain five alternatives for a new name for Macedonia for international use.

BRUSSELS - Serbia will open two new chapters in its EU accession talks at an intergovernmental conference in Brussels on Monday, December 11.

The final decision to open Chapters 6 (company law) and 30 (external relations) was made by the 28 EU member states without debate at a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives(COREPER) at ambassadorial level.