English
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski called today—during a meeting in Skopje with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—for the European Union to get involved in the talks between Macedonia and Bulgaria and to help create conditions for a sustainable European solution in which agreements are clear and obligations apply to all parties.
At a joint press conference at the Government, Mickoski emphasized that he and the EC President had an open discussion regarding the challenges in relations with our eastern neighbor.
“Our desire is to overcome these issues through dialogue, in good faith, and with mutual respect. We also discussed—and I highlighted—our expectation that the EU be involved in this process; we are not asking the Union to take sides. We are asking it to help create conditions for a sustainable European solution where agreements are clear, obligations apply to everyone, and the accession process is not reopened to new bilateral conditions.” “Any solution must provide assurance that its implementation concludes one phase and paves the way for the next, leaving no room for new interpretations or additional demands,” said Mickoski.
He emphasized that if the state is expected to make decisions with long-term consequences, it is reasonable to expect a clear European perspective regarding what follows. The goal, as he pointed out, is not to delay the process but to create conditions for it to finally move forward on a stable and sustainable basis.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed the country’s strategic commitment to EU membership, noting that the nation is fulfilling its obligations and implementing all necessary reforms in the areas of the rule of law, public administration, the business climate, digitalization, and education.
He described today’s meeting as open, substantive, and focused on issues that directly shape our European future.
We highly value the President’s presence in the region and her continued commitment to its European perspective. Today’s meeting was open, substantive, and focused on issues that directly shape our European future. Naturally, we discussed reforms and the pace of the accession process, as well as the challenges that have long burdened our path toward the European Union. Our commitment as a state is clear and remains unchanged. “We want to be part of the European Union, and we are working dedicatedly toward that goal,” emphasized Mickoski.
He added that they also believe the time has come for this process to receive stronger political support from all European institutions.
“Our European commitment has never been, nor will it ever be, in question. What we seek today is a process that is fair and based on clear rules. We are fulfilling our obligations and implementing the reforms expected of a country—sometimes on time, sometimes with slight delays—but we are completing them as a nation that aspires to become a member of the European Union,” said Mickoski.
It was also noted at the meeting that the European Commission has positively assessed the reforms implemented so far, enabling continued access to funds from the Growth Plan and accelerating economic convergence with the Union.
The Prime Minister added that our European path is not limited to the political issues weighing down the process. The bulk of our work, he noted, lies right here at home.
It involves our institutions, the economy, and improving the daily lives of our citizens. We are pressing ahead with reforms in the rule of law, public administration, the business climate, digitalization, and education. “The Reform Agenda under the Growth Plan is already yielding concrete results, and we want this momentum to continue. The European Commission gave a positive assessment of the reforms implemented this year, which enabled the continued use of funds from the Growth Plan,” Mickoski emphasized.