Exclusively, part of EU’s report: Postponement of negotiations negatively impact North Macedonia

MIA has come to parts of the report on North Macedonia, which will be officially released this afternoon in the European Parliament; the European Commission criticizes the blocking of the start of the negotiations, reports MIA correspondent from Brussels.

The European Commission is satisfied that North Macedonia has continued to fulfil the criteria for EU membership and that the authorities show a clear pro-European orientation.

-North Macedonia continues to fulfil the conditions for opening membership negotiations and the authorities have demonstrated publicly their strong commitment to continue on the EU path. The country has maintained a continuous and determined course in advancing the EU reforms and has increased its efforts to further deliver tangible results, is said in the report on the reform progress of North Macedonia, which will be released at 3.00 pm in Strasbourg.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi will present the report to the Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. The report is to further say that the EU reforms are a long-term process that require constant engagement of the government and the opposition, as well as of all social stakeholders.

North Macedonia is welcomed in the part on harmonization of its foreign policy with that of the EU with a 96 percent rate, which is an increase of two percentage points in comparison to 2020.

-In March 2020, members of the European Council unanimously approved the decision for opening membership negotiations with North Macedonia. Postponement of the official start of membership negotiations has a negative impact on the credibility of the EU, warns the European Commission.

It outlines that the bilateral relations between Sofia and Skopje must be resolved as a priority.

- The Commission eagerly expects and stresses the importance of continuous implementation of the Prespa Agreement and Treaty of Friendship, Good -Neighbourliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria on all sides. In accordance to the conclusions of the Council, the Commission continues the necessary preparatory work and expects the first Intergovernmental Conference to be held as soon as the negotiating framework is adopted by the Council even before the end of this year, requests the European Commission.

Translation: N. Cvetkovska