Bulgarian political crisis casts shadow over Balkans summit
23/6/2022 19:01
A Bulgarian government crisis Thursday threatened to tarnish a European Union summit that was intended to bolster the EU membership hopes of Balkan countries and to show Western resolve in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine. Bulgaria's parliament voted no-confidence Wednesday in the coalition government of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, presenting an obstacle to the long-delayed start of the EU's accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. All three countries belong to NATO, but Bulgaria has used its status as an EU member to block the other two from proceeding on the path to join the 27-nation European bloc. Bulgaria has a dispute with North Macedonia over ethnicity and language, and its stance has also stalled Albania's progress. The EU is treating the pair as a political package.
|
|