I cannot promise you a date, but I can promise you a will, and where there is a will, there is a way to find a solution, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said today regarding Macedonia’s accession negotiations with the EU.

Apart from claiming that the start of negotiations with Macedonia and Albania is a priority for the EU, he did not want to commit to any promise or announcement, despite the insistence of Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski that the war in Ukraine requires strategic decisions by the Union and that the decision to start negotiations with our country should be made as soon as possible.

I completely understand the disappointment that many feel here in Macedonia. I come from Spain which also had to wait a long time. But I will repeat that the accession negotiations with Macedonia and Albania are a high priority for the EU and we constantly assess that the country is ready to start them. It is not a rhetorical statement but a firm assessment and commitment, in fact a statement of intent that says it is a priority for us. The decisions of the Government of Macedonia connect the country even more with the EU, but there is a problem and you know who, which we are trying to solve with all our capacities for persuasion. EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi is fully involved in this process and we are talking to Bulgaria until this issue is resolved. It is positive that I see much better now that there is a stronger will between the two premieres to reach a solution. Bilateral issues must no longer jeopardize any accession process, even when they are based on ethnic-linguistic differences. I cannot promise you a date, but I can promise you a will, and if there is a will, there is a way to resolve it, Borrell said.