Sometimes, the EU members forget the reason for working together, and that is because we are mutually beneficial. The EU is the best project in the world that guarantees democracy and freedom and therefore needs to step up the decision-making process, which means that small countries should not be treated in the same way as large states, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in the interview with Austrian-based daily, Der Standard.

Ahead of the visit of the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Layen to Skopje, Prime Minister Zaev said that after sixteen and a half years of waiting, there is not much to do given that our country has been a good example in recent years when it comes to  behaving in a European way.

We are certainly not the best, but we are the good news from the Western Balkans. Currently, the EU is considering the recommendations that will be given at the Western Balkans Summit in early October, and there are EU countries that do not even want the Union to continue to focus on the Western Balkans,” said Prime Minister Zaev, emphasizing that when it comes to governing the continent, the EU is interested in having us there, because China and Russia also have economic interests in this area, which, as Zaev stressed, do not necessarily have to do with European and democratic values.

In the interview, Prime Minister Zaev pointed out that Macedonia can give more examples of resolving various disputes, which it will share with other Europeans.

One of them is the Ohrid Peace Agreement, which is fully implemented and is a model that shows that minority issues can best be addressed by strengthening local self-government.

This is a very useful model, not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also for EU countries that have interethnic problems. They could use it- it is about giving power to the citizens. When it comes to identity issues, the Prespa name agreement with Greece can be an example for Europe, Zaev added in an interview with the Austrian daily.