Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said Wednesday that the European Union will always be the only strategic goal of Macedonia and there’s no substitute for it.

With the Open Balkans, as a state and as a Government, we have an obligation to provide a better standard of living for citizens, to provide better infrastructure, and to prevent corruption with the efficiency of the administration and all institutions, Prime Minister Kovacevski underlined when asked whether the “Open Balkans” remain the only real initiative for our country if there is another “no” from Bulgaria.

He stressed that the citizens of our country cannot be held hostage to the expectations of dates at each new EU Summit and therefore he does not tie dates to something that does not depend on us.

We have done our job. The Republic of Macedonia has four consecutive positive reports by the European Commission. We have 45 percent harmonization of the national legislation with the legislation of the European Union, said Kovacevski.