Firstly, there is a lack of political capital at the EU level to push forward the accession process. Secondly, the democratic backsliding in some EU member states, like Hungary or Poland, has caused resistance to include enlargement policy in the Council's negotiation table. With enlargement not ranking high on the EU priority list, the general tendency now is to deal with one policy issue at a time. In the meantime, the adoption of certain instruments, like the new accession methodology of February 2020, are meant as transitory reinvigorating moves to keep the EU accession perspective alive. But, neither the new accession methodology nor the issuing of the green light for the opening of the accession talks in spring 2020 managed to change the course of events for Albania(and North Macedonia). Thirdly, the general situation today is not conducive to the EU's readiness to welcome new members. The outbreak of COVID-19 last year profoundly reorientated the political priorities of the Union. Exploring the available alternatives to prevent the diffusion of the virus and at the same time enhancing the productive machinery became the two leading themes of the Commission’s work. This corresponded with the entry into force of the new Multiannual Financial Framework, 2021-2027. Then there are the challenges posed by migration for the EU member states. Considering the financial difficulties caused by the pandemic and the withdrawal of the US and its NATO partners from Afghanistan, a new wave of migrants is expected to reach the Union's coasts in the coming months. Fourthly, political situations in certain member states appear to not be in favourable shape. On the one hand, stand Poland and Hungary with their respective illiberal turn, and/or Bulgaria with its internal political instability. On the other hand, two major countries like Germany and France – the traditional'engines of change' within the EU- are respectively going through an important electoral process, which may have a considerable effect on the Union's policy-shaping in the future. In particular, the presidential elections in France in April 2022 are considered a cornerstone for the enlargement process, and there is little expectation that there will be any breakthrough before then. As the member states have turned into the‘real gatekeepers’ of accession, their domestic developments are gaining even more importance when analysing the enlargement perspective in the short time span. While France and the Netherlands were the first countries to make use of their political power to halt the opening of the accession talks with Albania since 2020 it has been Bulgaria's turn to block the process. The instrumentalization of the veto power has created a fragmentation of the official positions between two EU institutions, with the Commission trying to push forward the accession process and the Council doing the opposite. Moreover, the presence of contrasting positions from the EU and its member states have created a cacophony of voices 10