North Macedonia

Many things have since changed: Eurovision has become a show in which both European and non-European countries, including Australia, compete. Yugoslavia is long gone; Croatia has joined the EU; Cutugno's Italy is meanwhile ruled by political elites who do not sing "Together" with much joy any longer, while "reunited Europe" is becoming increasingly divided.

European Union governments failed on Tuesday to make good on a promise to open membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania, which face further delays to their hopes of joining the bloc due to resistance from northern Europe.

As the European Council of Ministers is set to convene on Tuesday in Luxembourg, North Macedonia and Albania fear they will not get what they hoped for - a date for a start to their EU accession talks.

European Union states were at loggerheads on Monday over starting talks with Albania and North Macedonia to enter the bloc, while Cyprus threatened to veto any agreement on future enlargement unless the EU toughens its line on Turkish drilling.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has urged European leaders, meeting at a summit in Brussels this week, to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania.

North Macedonia is likely to win European Union support to start membership talks later this year, diplomats say, but its Balkan neighbour Albania faces opposition in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

North Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski has warned against delaying EU membership talks with Skopje, expressing fears that the political context in the Balkan region could change in the coming months and endanger the process.

North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in an interview with  Germany's   Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) published days before the first anniversary of the 17 June signing of the Prespa Agreement expressed confidence that a Mitsotakis government will not challenge the accord that the New Democracy leader so bitterly opposed.

"I spoke with my counterpart Zoran Zaev last week that if we acquire the new fighter aircraft we will protect the air space of North Macedonia as well. This will be good for them and for us", Bulgaria's Premier Boyko Borissov, who attended the military exercise at the training polygon in Novo Selo said.

Neither Skopje nor Athens would benefit from reopening issues that have already been resolved, North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has said about the potential impact of a conservative election victory in Greece on the so-called Prespes accord.