UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to pass his own latest version of the Brexit deal through an emergency session of Parliament on Saturday, forcing him to request an extension from the EU per a previously-set October 19 deadline. Johnson’s own feelings on the matter were made clear, however, as the unsigned request for an extension that was mandated by Parliament earlier in September was accompanied by a signed letter urging EU leaders not to grant the extension. The Benn Act passed on September 9th demanded the extension be requested,…
After a recent block on North Macedonia’s accession to the EU by France, the Prime Minister announced his resignation on Saturday, leading to snap elections that may place anti-EU opposition in power within the country. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev referred to his country as “victims of the EU’s historical mistake” while announcing the election, and said it would be up to the Macedonian people to “decide the road we are going to take.” The leader of Zaev’s opposition, conservative Hristijan Mickoski of the VMRO-DPMNE part, had previously called for snap…
Two Balkan states which have long pursued membership in the European Union have faced a setback as the necessary talks to consider an entry are stalled by EU member states. Albania and North Macedonia have seen their efforts stymied by a French-led effort to change the system by which new nations are admitted to the EU. North Macedonia, which was formerly known as Macedonia before changing its name to resolve a dispute with Greece, has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005. Albania was listed for consideration in 2014.…