The 27 member countries of the EU agreed on Monday to open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, after Skopje resolved a long dispute with its EU neighbour, Bulgaria.
The Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, tweeted that the member states "just agreed to open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia".
"We have taken another important step towards bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU," Mr Fiala said after the move was approved in a meeting of EU envoys in Brussels.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and North Macedonian leader Dimitar Kovacevski were expected in Brussels on Tuesday to formally start the accession talks that will take years.
North Macedonia and Bulgaria on Sunday signed a French proposal that would make Macedonian an official language in the EU, and provide other guarantees.
Bulgaria had until recently blocked any progress for accession talks because of a dispute between the countries over a long list of linguistic and historical issues.
The dispute also stalled Albania's bid to become a member of the 27-nation bloc, due to a long-held policy that the ambitions of both countries to join the EU be treated together.
Under the pressure of France, which held the EU presidency until July 1, last month the Bulgarian Parliament agreed to lift its veto in exchange for guarantees from the bloc that North Macedonia will meet certain demands on contentious issues.
North Macedonia was designated as a candidate for EU membership nearly 20 years ago. It has already worked through major differences with Greece in order to join Nato in March 2020.
Albania was awarded candidate status by the EU in 2014.
The strategic importance of the Western Balkans to the EU has increased since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, with fears over Moscow's influence in the region.
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)