President Stevo Pendarovski said that Macedonia was offered joining the European Economic Area (EEA) but refused because it insists on full fledged EU membership. The EEA includes countries who have no intention to join the EU, such as Norway and Switzerland, in the same economic regime that the EU has.

Some of us in the region – I can only speak for Macedonia – have received offers from very high officials that we join the European Economic Area. I refused the offer immediately, because this type of thinking will be disastrous in the long term, Pendarovski said.

In the past Macedonia has also mulled alternative forms of NATO membership, when Greece blocked this prospect, but under Zaev and Pendarovski, the country adopted a policy of accepting all demands from the neighbors and insisting that there can be no alternative to full EU and NATO membership. But Macedonia is pushing a process of alignment with Serbia, Albania and Kosovo known as Mini Schengen.

Any alternative, be it regional or purely economic, is dangerous for the countries in the region. We don’t have a long democratic tradition and could easily become prey to autocratic regimes. Economic integration is not enough unless it is followed by political integration. It’s best if they advance hand in hand. The only words I want heard by the end of the year are that we are finally holding the first inter-governmental conference. We changed our name and made changes that no other country would make. That was an enormous sacrifice on the part of those now in power and was the main plank of my campaign, Pendarovski insisted during Balkan conference held today.