French Ambassador Christian Thimonier said in an interview with “Portalb” that the implementation of reforms in Macedonia will be monitored until the very day when it will be decided whether to start EU accession talks and that its country’s position is that the EU should no longer accept countries that, as he says, that are held hostage by a dozen families.

We can say that membership in some countries could be more effective. Neither the negotiations nor their EU membership have contributed much to change in these countries. This is because, despite the reforms, their system remains blocked by political parties, as well as by dozens of families holding the economic system hostage in the country. We do not want to accept more such countries in the EU, the Ambassador said.

France has not yet stated its position on whether Macedonia will be given a date to start negotiations on October 15 or October 17, as the country will be “scanned” until the last minute.

This question remains open, both to France and to other countries. We are still talking. We also want to give North Macedonia some time to make some decisions, and we expect this not only from the ruling party but also from the opposition. The question of the Law on Special Prosecutor’s Office and the way the country treats high corruption remains open. The law is very important because there are court cases that have not been closed, but new ones have emerged following the Racket scandal, for which we are waiting for a transparent investigation, he said.