Brussels, 16 November 2021 (MIA) – European Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi reassured Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani during their joint meeting on Tuesday morning in Brussels that the European Commission’s position on start of EU negotiations remains unchanged, MIA’s Brussels correspondent reports. Commission’s position remains unchanged. We're looking forward to the first intergovernmental conferences with North Macedonia and Albania after the two countries had met the conditions. Now, it's EU's turn to deliver, European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero told MIA. After the elections in Bulgaria, Brussels hopes for swift progress on the ground in solving the open issues between Skopje and Sofia. The Commission, said the spokeswoman, remains in close contact with all relevant sides and will remain to work with Slovenia’s presidency to meet our joint goal for holding the first intergovernmental conference with North Macedonia and Albania this year. North Macedonia and Bulgaria are also encouraged to find a mutually acceptable solution to the bilateral disputes, Pisonero said. The Council of the EU is tasked with approving the first intergovernmental conference, which marks the official start of EU membership negotiations, and adopting the negotiating framework after being submitted by the European Commission. Bulgaria is blocking North Macedonia’s process despite the positive signals from the European Commission and all member countries. Hopes are high that a solution will be found by Dec. 31. Speaking to MIA, Minister Osmani said that “the alarm has been sounded” across Europe and in the United States, noting that there are no guarantees Bulgaria will lift the veto.