However, EU ministers for European affairs gathered in Luxembourg on Tuesday were unable to overcome differences between member states to launch the accession talks. Unanimous agreement by all 28-member states is needed.
"In light of the limited time available and the importance of the matter, the Council will revert to the issue with a view to reaching a clear and substantive decision as soon as possible and no later than October 2019," the European Council said.
One major factor for the delay is Germany, which first needs to get parliamentary approval. There is also resistance from some states to adding new member states, particularly from France and the Netherlands. However, last week 13 member states, mostly from Eastern Europe but also Italy and Austria, called for the immediate opening of talks with the two Balkan countries.
EU credibility in doubt
The EU's enlargement policy encourages states to carry out pro-democratic reforms, with the lure of membership as a reward.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said he was "extremely confident we'll get a green light in October," but warned that "indecision and inaction are not an option."
"Our collective credibility is at stake and our leverage for tough reforms across the region are equally at stake," he told reporters.
EU officials say it is important to send the right message to regional states that have carried out reforms demanded by Brussels. In particular, they say North Macedonia should be rewarded for settling its long-running name dispute with Greece last year, while Albania passed judicial reforms that have been overshadowed by protests against Prime Minister Edi Rama. Both countries are viewed as key states to promote stability in the Balkans, but they still suffer from corruption and organized crime.
Opponents argue the EU should not rush to accept new members, citing lingering corruption and justice issues in member states Romania and Bulgaria.
European Union enlargement since 1957
The European Union began as an association of six countries in Western Europe in 1957. Since then, 22 countries have joined the bloc. DW takes a look at the EU's expansion through the years.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Diezins
1957: Six countries forge a new Europe
Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg created the predecessor to the EU on March 25, 1957 with the signing of the Treaty of Rome. The European Economic Community (EEC) aimed to promote integration for internal and external trade. The EEC and two sister organizations governing coal, steel and nuclear cooperation were collectively known as the European Communities (EC).
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images
1973: Britain, Ireland and Denmark
The United Kingdom was initially reluctant to join the new European club but changed its mind in the 1960s. Its first two accession attempts failed in the face of strong French opposition. Paris eventually relented, and the UK became an EC member along with Ireland and Denmark in 1973. A majority of British voters approved the decision to join the bloc in a 1975 referendum.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Lipchitz
1981: Greece
Greece became the EC's tenth member in 1981 after six years of negotiations. The Mediterranean country's transition to democracy following the collapse of a military dictatorship in 1974 paved the way for its application to the bloc. Greece's admission was controversial. The country was relatively poor and some EC members worried about economic competitiveness and an influx of migrants.
Image: Getty Images/C. Furlong
1986: Spain and Portugal
Spain and Portugal followed Greece five years later. They were, like Greece, new democracies. Spain transitioned following the death of former dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. Free elections were also held in Portugal in that year after the fall of the former authoritarian government. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa (pictured) marked the 30th anniversary of the accession in 2016.
Image: picture-alliance/G. Silva
1995: Austria, Sweden and Finland
The EC became the modern-day European Union after its members signed the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992. The first countries to join the new bloc were Austria, Sweden and Finland in 1995. All three countries had been officially neutral during the Cold War and were not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. Bry
2004: Ten Eastern European countries
The EU saw its biggest expansion with the addition of ten countries — Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia — on May 1, 2004. It was an important landmark in those countries' economic and political development. All were newcomers to democracy and capitalism following the collapse of communism less then two decades before.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
2007: Romania and Bulgaria
Romania and Bulgaria planned to join the EU in 2004. But the bloc delayed accession amid their slow progress on completing judicial and political reforms. Both countries continue to be among the bloc's poorest and most corrupt members. GDP per capita in Romania was 63 percent of the EU average in 2017. In Bulgaria, GDP per capita was only 49 percent of the EU average.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/V. Donev
2013: Croatia
The most recent round of EU enlargement saw Croatia join in 2013. The small country on the Adriatic Coast followed Slovenia as the second country to emerge from the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s and join the EU. Montenegro and Serbia, which were also part of Yugoslavia, have been negotiating future EU membership since 2012 and 2014.
Image: picture-alliance/D. Puklavec
The future: FYR Macedonia and Albania?
The EU decided in late June 2018 to open EU membership negotiations with an additional two Balkan countries, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRM) and Albania. Brussels has not yet decided to open negotiations with the remaining former Yugoslav countries, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, which the bloc considers "potential candidate countries" for future EU membership.
