Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said that the French non-paper proposal to alter the methodology of EU accession negotiations could be beneficial to Macedonia, as it promises that full EU membership is it end goal. Dimitrov was speaking at a joint press conference with Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, and compared the accession talks as they are now being reimagined, with “accession Olympics”.

We would like to have conditions for an even competition with all the Western Balkan countries, Dimitrov said.

Dimitrov also welcomed the French proposal that each success in the enlargement talks would unlock structural funds for the candidate countries, saying that it would show tangible benefits to the Balkan citizens.

Minister Linde also welcomed the initative to reform the EU accession process, but said she is not prepared to discuss the French proposal in detail.