I wish we receive a date to open EU accession talks. The Government does not deserve it, but the citizens of Macedonia do, said opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski as Macedonia faced the prospect of a French veto in Brussels.

We’ve been saying it all along, we wish for a clean approval to open the EU accession talks. This Government is the last that deserves such a thing, but still, the citizens of Macedonia deserve it and our state deserves it. Anything less than a clean approval of a date to open accession talks would be failure of this Government and would delegitimize the policies of Zoran Zaev and his coalition, Mickoski said during a meeting with his supporters in Skopje’s Karpos district.

Mickoski dismissed a comment from Zaev recently that the date is certain, but the opposition is “scared in its heart and in its heels” from seeing Zaev receive the nod and opening the accession talks.

I suppose that Zaev alone, or a few other people around him understand his failed humor and style of talking. I really don’t understand what he wants to say, but he should be more serious and instead of misplaced attempts at humor, he should try to engage in realistic policies, Mickoski added.

Mickoski reminded the public that VMRO-DPMNE placed national interests at the top of its priorities and refrained from “more aggressive actions”.

For us, the European perspective of al the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia comes first, Mickoski said.

The party helped secure the support of its conservative allies in the EU to push for opening the accession talks. Main opposition is coming from liberal-democrat led countries such as France and the Netherlands, who are worried about rising crime and immigrant rates from the Balkans and from the further dilution of the EU.