Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani, who leads the European Union integration process, warned the EU that Macedonia could fall into security risks that may spread across the region unless it is allowed to open accession talks. Despite the imposed name change, it is likely that the EU will not allow Macedonia to open accession talks in June, as the Zaev regime asked, and possibly not even this year.

Accession talks must begin without delay. If not, there are risks for the country and for the region, Osmani said during a visit to Brussels.

Greek objections to opening the talks, which have blocked the talks for years, are most likely removed, but it only reveals that Greece was likely just a useful excuse for deeper opposition to enlargement. France, the Netherlands and Denmark are now the main opponents to Macedonia’s accession to the EU, citing rule of law issues or economic incompatibility, but the real reason is more tribal, as a former British minister believes.

I’m optimistic that there is no better case than ours, it’s so strong it’s difficult to ignore. And there is no alternative. The alternative, the failure in this story, would be horrific. It would risk to collapse all the positive processes we had in the state and in the region. If the perspective is removed, the entire strategy will collapse. That is the case we are making, Osmani warned gravely.