Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi, who is on a Western Balkan tour, said in Podgorica that Macedonia should not hope for a date for negotiations in March.

Although SDSM expected a date before the elections and Deputy Prime Minister Osmani accused the EU that not giving a date before the elections would mean interference in the election results or support for VMRO-DPMNE, Várhelyi says the May summit in Zagreb and not the one in March is the key moment when a step forward can be made.