The Republic of Albania and North Macedonia have officially opened negotiations for membership in the European Union. Before the first intergovernmental conference in Brussels, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has described this as a historic moment and according to her, both countries have worked hard towards integration. Von der Leyen said that this is a success of the governments and citizens of the two countries. "This is a historical moment! Today, Albania and North Macedonia have opened negotiations for EU accession and I am very happy to be here with you, this is your success, yours as a government, of your citizens, of your people that have worked so hard to arrive here and you have shown an incredible commitment to our values. You have shown perseverance, you have had faith in the process towards the EU, you have implemented the rule of law, you have free media, you have a vivid civil society and you have made many reforms and modernized your economy. You have made all these changes not only where they are mandatory for the path to the EU, but in all of them because these are good for your country and these reforms are already giving a better quality of life", she said.