Member state of the European Union

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced that some EU countries still oppose the possibility of starting negotiations on the accession of northern Macedonia to the Community. He made this statement at a joint press conference with Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

The European Union says Turkey continues to distance itself from the bloc and its values and says sees no reason to unblock the country's EU membership talks.
In a progress report on Turkey's membership prospects released Wednesday, the EUs executive commission criticizes "serious backsliding in the areas of the rule of law and fundamental rights."

The European Parliamentary elections are over and there is, potentially, a new balance of power within the EU. It is not quite the radically remade political landscape that some had anticipated, but for the Western Balkans it is a significant shift all the same.

Meanwhile, the election results will change little in terms of the EU bleak perspective of Western Balkan aspirant members.

Oddly, this is not only because of the rise of populism and Euroscepticism. It has more to do with the attitude of the traditional European conservatives, liberals and their partners on the left.

Michel Barnier, the European Union's chief negotiator for Brexit, reiterated on Monday EU readiness to respond accordingly in case Turkey carries out illegal hydrocarbon drilling activities, noting that the EU stands clearly behind Cyprus.

The European Commission (EC) will recommend opening accession talks for full membership of northern Macedonia and Albania by the end of May, reiterated EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who until now has only expressed confidence that this will happen.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Thursday that European Union states that have taken in many migrants and have large debts "gladly take our money," while pushing his plan for the EU to penalize countries that are lax on those issues.

The independence of the judiciary is under threat in EU member states from Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania, European Justice Commissioner Vera Yourova said, quoted by Associated Press.
 
She warned that this trend could undermine the credibility of the states of the Union.
 

Regardless of the situation with Brexit, Bulgarian Posts EAD continues to accept shipments to the UK, informed the company and added that they maintain permanent contact with the Universal Postal Union and are ready to respond to a change in the situation.

European Union lawmakers voted on Tuesday to scrap from 2021 the practice of moving clocks forward by an hour in spring then back again in the autumn, two years later than the EU executive initially proposed.