BRUSSELS, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- European Union foreign ministers Monday failed to grant the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia the status of candidate for EU membership.
The European Commission, the EU's powerful executive arm, last month recommended that Macedonia be granted candidate country status because of the far-reaching reforms it has carried out since a civil war was narrowly averted four years ago.
But at a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels Monday, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy argued that the Union -- which admitted 10 new members last year -- is not ready to absorb any new states.
"The problem is whether we should carry on now with a new wave of enlargement," he told reporters. "Is this the right moment when neither the institutional nor the financial conditions are in place?"
Earlier this year, French voters rejected a constitution for the 25-member bloc. European Union states are also deadlocked over the club's budget for the next seven years.
Austria backed France's stance, citing "enlargement fatigue" among voters. Greece also opposed putting the Balkan state on the road to EU membership because it objects to Skopje appropriation of the name "Macedonia" -- which also refers to a Greek province.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Ollie Rehn said it was "very important for our credibility in the western Balkans," to keep the door open to former Yugoslav states -- as European leaders promised three years ago.
EU heads of state will attempt to make a decision on Macedonia's status Thursday and Friday at a quarterly meeting in Brussels.
