New President of the European Parliament David Sassoli will visit North Macedonia November 4-5. It will be his first official trip outside the European Union after being appointed over the summer. Ahead of his visit, Sassoli says North Macedonia and Albania should remain on the European track after the outcome of the October EU Summit. […]
Deputy PM for European Affairs Bujar Osmani told MPs Tuesday the European Council decision not to give North Macedonia a date for the start of accession negotiations is an injustice and historic mistake. VMRO-DPMNE MPs abandoned the session prior to Osmani and Dimitrov’s remarks, labeling it as a government party. The Parliament’s Committee on European […]
For us, there’s no better alternative than EU integration, and therefore, all other options for strategic or special forms of partnership are impossible and unacceptable, President Stevo Pendarovski said in an interview with Al Jazeera Balkans. “There are as many alternatives as you want, as many options as you want, but nothing is more sustainable […]
Former Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias is undertaking an international initiative on the situation in the Western Balkans, following a decision by the last European Council meeting to postpone setting a date for the start of EU accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. The former Foreign Minister had meetings with the Slovak Foreign Minister […]
You consider that French president Emmanuel Macron has made a “historic mistake” in vetoing the opening of EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, but the French opposition to the opening of negotiations is in no way linked to the particular assessment of the candidate countries, but to a much more fundamental political problem […]
Greece should take initiative to organize meetings and coordinate with countries sharing the same position on stability in the Balkans regarding North Macedonia’s European perspective, former Greek foreign minister Nikos Kotzias told a conference on progressive foreign policy organized by ENA Institute for Alternative Policies. Participants in the conference discussed aspects of Greek foreign policy, […]
French Ambassador Christian Thimonier said that he has informed French top officials of North Macedonia’s disappointment following the EU Council meeting in Brussels. Thimonier added that geopolitics surpassed realistic expectations, giving the public “the impression that the Prespa Agreement is the sole precondition for starting accession talks.” The French ambassador said the Bundestag wasn’t ready […]
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn again sharply criticized France’s negative position and the refusal of the EU leaders to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, saying the consequences for both countries and the region could be catastrophic. Hahn in the interview with APA news agency said that negative decision of EU leaders […]
German Ambassador to Skopje Thomas Gerberich in regard to European Council’s decision not to open EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia, said that the country is part of Europe and deserves nothing less than full EU membership. “. Please continue with these reforms and convince anyone who may have any doubts about your path to […]
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Ekaterina Zaharieva, said that the European Union’s decision not to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia is a rude historical mistake. “Bulgaria said a big “Yes” on opening accession negotiations,” Zaharieva said, adding that North Macedonia deserves to start membership negotiations with the EU. The Bulgarian Deputy […]
The European Parliament is set to put a motion for a resolution on opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania on the agenda of the plenary session on Wednesday. The European Parliament has already agree Skopje and Tirana should open accession negotiations with the EU and a motion for a resolution comes after the […]
You delivered everything that was asked of you, you did your share. But the European Union makes these decisions unanimously and unfortunately we again delayed the issue. We understand the disappointment of the citizens and the politicians with the decision from the European Council in Brussels, but remain committed to North Macedonia and the region, […]
The ruling German coalition CDU/CSU said that the road to the EU remains open for North Macedonia and Albania, despite the EU Council’s decision not to open accession negotiations with the two countries. Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, Johann David Wadephul, and the reporter in charge Christian Schmidt urged […]
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the postponing the decision to open negotiations for North Macedonia’s and Albania’s accession to the European Union, it is much more than a lost opportunity: it is a historic mistake. In her blog ‘Two important decisions, one historic mistake’, Mogherini said that the heads of State […]
The United States supports North Macedonia and Albania’s commitment to Transatlantic integration and aspirations to join the European Union. We are disappointed the European Council did not recognize each country’s very strong reform efforts by agreeing to open accession negotiations at this time. A positive decision would have reaffirmed the credibility of their EU path […]
EU leaders will review the prospect of EU’s enlargement before the European Union-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb in May 2020, in line with the conclusions adopted during the EU Summit in Brussels. Once again, the European Union and its leaders failed to rise to the occasion. With the Summit’s decision to postpone one more time […]
Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for the first time, refers to North Macedonia by its constitutional name in an interview on the Politico website, as part of his presence in Brussels for the Summit, and what’s more stands in favor of its accession prospects. Responding to Politico’s questions, he says: “We have always said that […]
President of the Party of European Socialists Sergei Stanishev has written to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, to urge him to put the issue of accession talks with the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania on the agenda of tomorrow’s European Council meeting. In the letter, Sergei Stanishev said: “Please allow me to […]
“The Prespa Agreement is central to plans for the country’s future. It is also the essence of your youth ambitions and what we can do together in the years to come. It is a simple, clear and modest message that I want to send you. I cannot take your place because you vote independently in […]
Belgium – Excluding several extremist votes from Greece and Bulgaria, vast majority of MEPs at last night’s debate prior to voting on 2018 report on the Republic of Macedonia, called for opening EU accession negotiations in June, however reminding that the country must continue with the same pace of reforms. Ivo Vajgl, Macedonia Rapporteur in […]
