Croatian PM says North Macedonia, Albania 'deserved' to start EU accession talks
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Our guest is Andrej Plenkovic, the prime minister of the most recent EU member state, Croatia, which will be heading up the rotating presidency of the European Union as of January. He spoke to us about Brexit, the Turkish offensive in Syria and EU enlargement.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic welcomed the announcement of a draft Brexit deal, hailing "a very good achievement". He underlined that the EU "would be ready by (October) 31" and expressed hope that the UK would be too.
The Croatian premier also reacted to the Turkish incursion into northern Syria. "There was a clear condemnation [by the European Union] and we regret all the victims", he said. However, "we have to take into account the entire relationship between Turkey and the European Union in a context of illegal migration", he added.
Finally, on the issue of EU enlargement, Plenkovic expressed regret at the lack of consensus on allowing North Macedonia and Albania to start accession EU negotiations, calling it a "lost opportunity". Croatia was the last country to enter the European Union, after 23 years of negotiations.
Presented by Catherine Nicholson
Produced by Mathilde Benezet et Isabelle Romero
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