French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Albania on Tuesday said he wanted a more “amorous” than “bureaucratic” EU enlargement process in his bid to accelerate the reunification of Europe, according to Politico.
Macron took a swipe at the “cold and bureaucratic machinery” in Brussels, saying the process of joining the EU should be more political and less technical, involving economic investments during the accession talks and better political engagement with leaders of aspiring countries.
“We need to help with proofs of love. I hope that in the coming months we Europeans will find a way to reunite [our Continent],” he said alongside Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama at a press conference.
Macron’s serenading in Tirana came several months after the French president signaled a French U-turn on enlargement, calling for the EU to grow and reform in the face of global instability.
Questioned about France’s decision to oppose the opening of the accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia in 2019, the French president said he was the “spoilsport” then because the system wasn’t “working properly.”
The Albanian prime minister also waxed lyrical about joining the EU but remained more prosaic, telling reporters that joining the bloc would take time because “you can’t drive a car before getting your driving licence.”