President Stevo Pendarovski said Monday that Macedonia was offered joining the European Economic Area (EEA) but refused because it insists on full fledged EU membership. The EEA includes countries who have no intention to join the EU, such as Norway and Switzerland, in the same economic regime that the EU has.

Some of us in the region – I can only speak for Macedonia – have received offers from very high officials that we join the European Economic Area. I refused the offer immediately, because this type of thinking will be disastrous in the long term, Pendarovski said.

Reactions from the public began to arrive. Today, Ilija Dimovski from VMRO-DPMNE explained what Macedonia has actually refused:

An organization which includes all EU members, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and the United Kingdom remains; The same rules apply for the internal market as in the EU; Free movement of people, goods, services and capital as if we were an EU member; We would be equal to all employment rights across Europe as if were an EU member; Businessmen would have the same rights and protection as if we were an EU member; Students would have the right to study throughout Europe, just as if we were an EU member; Startups would be able to use the same programs as if we were an EU member; Scientists and artists would be able to use thousands of programs across EU countries, just as if we were an EU member; Free trade with all EEA member countries; Freedom to live and work in the EU and the EEA, just as if we were an EU member; Much of EU law (in the area of free movement of people, goods, services and capital) would be harmonized.

IT IS OUTRAGEOUS that President Pendarovski, without a sense of weight, tells us how smoothly such an OFFER was REJECTED. Stevo Pendarovski decided that we needed political integration, not just economic, as if the two must depend on each other. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!!!, Dimovski wrote.