July 16, 2022
20:36
–
The government of North Macedonia has accepted the compromise allowing the opening of negotiations for accession to the European Union.
–
“We are one step away from the first intergovernmental meeting (with the EU) which will finally, after 17 years, mark the start of North Macedonia’s negotiations with the EU”, said the Prime Minister of North Macedonia , Dimitar Kovacevsky. “From now on, we will move towards the EU in an accelerated way“, he added, seeing in this step “a historic step”.
–
Skopje’s decision was unanimously welcomed by Brussels, notably by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Foreign Minister Joseph Borell. “A crucial step for North Macedonia (…) which paves the way for an intergovernmental meeting next week”, for his part, wrote the President of the European Council Charles Michel on Twitter.
–
Compromise
North Macedonia has been stuck in the EU antechamber since 2005. Greece initially vetoed until 2018, before Sofia blocked the file in 2020 amid ancient historical and cultural disputes. Bulgaria prevented the launch of negotiations with Skopje, but also with Tirana, the two candidacies being linked by the EU. Sofia finally lifted her veto on June 24, under certain conditions.
–
According to the compromise on the table, prepared under the French EU Presidency which has just ended, Skopje must in particular undertake to modify its Constitution to include Bulgarians in the recognized ethnic groups and to “implement” a 2017 friendship treaty aimed at eradicating hate speech.
–
–
