It is good news that the European Union launched the membership negotiations with Macedonia and Albania last week. This is excellent news, a milestone for these countries but also for the EU. The screening process was launched on the same day, which means that the countdown to Macedonia’s EU membership has begun, says EU Ambassador David Geer.

You have absolutely started the negotiations with the European Union and that is good news, Geer said in an interview with TV Kanal 5.

Regarding the differences in the documents for Macedonia and Albania, Geer said it is relatively normal for there to be differences between each accession process to some extent.

In this case it comes down to the following, we had what is called an intergovernmental conference last week which started the process. We have now started the screening process. At the end of that process, Macedonia will have the second intergovernmental conference, and in order to hold it, Macedonia needs to fulfill the obligation it made to Bulgaria, to change the Constitution in order to have an explicit definition for persons and citizens who identify as Bulgarians, in the protection of the Constitution itself, Geer clarifies.

However, says the EU ambassador, since this condition is in the hands of Macedonia, it should in no way result in delays or serve as an obstacle to the process, because, according to him, there is not a single party or state that would prevent the holding of this second intergovernmental meeting. conference.

Regarding the change of the Macedonian Constitution and what if it does not happen, the EU ambassador emphasized that then the most likely scenario would be that the process would stop there.

Becoming a member of the EU, as he added, depends on the speed with which the reforms are implemented.

I am very confident. We have started negotiations, the country has reason to be optimistic and to be confident in its identity and its European perspective. I think the process is moving forward with a positive dynamic, but there is a lot of work, a lot of reforms before the country becomes a full-fledged member of the EU, Geer said in an interview with Kanal 5.