The EU’s unfulfilled promise to open accession talks with Macedonia has fueled political instability, uncertainty and disappointment, but encouraged authorities, the opposition and civil society to remain committed to their European goals and to continue working with the Council of Europe, the rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said in relation to the post-monitoring dialogue with Macedonia in their report published these days in Strasbourg.

In the revised note published as part of the post-monitoring dialogue with Macedonia, Liz Christoffersen (Norway, SOC) and Zsolt Csenger-Zalán (Hungary, EPP / CD) say that there is still a “strong consensus” in the country that is in benefit of the European integration process.

Despite several traumatic events in 2021, Macedonia has shown resilience, interethnic relations have remained stable, and the emergence of new political parties shows a lively political scene, said the co-rapporteurs, assessing the latest developments, MIA reports from Strasbourg.

According to them, the country has made “a lot of efforts to improve its standards” in recent years, but this progress “needs to be consolidated and the law fully implemented”, and “the prospect of EU integration can be a strong factor in encouraging reforms, improve norms and ultimately improve living conditions. “