Recent events in Ukraine and the military conflict have once again demonstrated the EU’s double standards. Suddenly Brussels has become more interested in Ukraine than in Macedonia and other Western Balkan countries. For the EU, it is now more important whether future members will support sanctions against Russia than talk about joining them.

But when it comes to Ukraine this is not the case. The EU obviously wants Ukraine to get candidate status and start negotiations as soon as possible, and why not become a member in a few years.

The EP has already adopted a Resolution calling for candidate status, and now the European Council is on the move, asking the European Commission to draft an opinion on Ukraine’s EU candidate status. The final decision on new member states is made by the Council of the EU, ie the member states, but it is almost certain that this will happen.

One of the member states that supports Ukraine’s membership in the EU is Bulgaria, which in the case of Macedonia demands that we give up the Macedonian language, history and identity only to start negotiations without any guarantee of membership.

Macedonia has had candidate status since 2005 and a dozen positive reports but never to start negotiations, first because of the Greek and then because of the Bulgarian veto.

Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani also reacted to this, saying that the EU must not leave the Western Balkans as an open wound in the heart of the EU and that the start of accession talks with Macedonia and Albania should be unblocked immediately.