The German Bundestag agreed with the vast majority that the accession talks with the European Union could start with North Macedonia and Albania, Nova Makedonija media reported on Friday.

With 476 in favour, 122 against and 16 absentees’ votes, the parliament gave the green light to Tirana and Skopje to start the accession negotiations with European Union, demanding from the latter to guarantee it would fulfil the EU membership criteria and conduct all necessary reforms.

The main issues regarding Skopje are the fight against corruption, respect of the human rights and the efficiency of the Special Prosecutor’s Office.