Neighboring countries find it easy to pressure Macedonia because it is so corrupt that it can’t find support from other, larger EU member states, says VMRO-DPMNE Vice President Aleksandar Nikoloski in his weekly editorial in “Fokus”. According to Nikoloski, other, larger EU member states won’t stand up for Macedonia because of the crime and corruption that ruin the country’s reputation.

Bulgaria is the weakest EU member state. We are not dealing with the strongest EU countries here. Bulgaria needs the EU far more than the EU needs Bulgaria. Nobody can tell me that the EU capitals can’t put pressure on Bulgaria. If they really thought that Macedonia deserves to open its EU accession talks, they could resolve the issue in an afternoon, by sending a heavyweight diplomat to Sofia. He wouldn’t even have to spend the night there. But because Macedonia is mired in crime and corruption by the SDSM and DUI leaderships, we are stuck. Under a VMRO-DPMNE government, the country could enact a serious push against organized crime and restore the image of Macedonia in six to nine months, Nikoloski says.