North Macedonia accuses Brussels of obstructing EU accession
Kyiv • UNN
The president and prime minister of North Macedonia said that the EU is putting obstacles in the way of the country's accession. They criticize delays and demands from Brussels, comparing the process to “waiting for Godot.
The president and prime minister of North Macedonia have said that Brussels is putting obstacles to the country's accession to the EU. UNN writes about this with reference to Euronews.
Details
Prime Minister Christian Mickoski said the EU is trying to "dictate" what North Macedonia should do and said he would not allow further delays in EU accession talks.
During her speech at the UN General Assembly, North Macedonia's President Gordana Sillanovska-Davkova said that the country's path to EU membership is similar to "waiting for Godot.
For us, membership in the European Union, after 20 years of negotiations and 16 positive reports from the European Commission, is like Mr. Godot, because we have been waiting for it since 2005, constantly encouraged by international representatives with a chorus: "Just one condition or just one concession"
Context
North Macedonia's application to join the EU is postponed due to a dispute with Bulgaria over Balkan history, language, and culture.
The previous government of North Macedonia considered Bulgaria's request to include a reference to the Bulgarian ethnic minority in the country's constitution. However, the amendment failed to pass a vote in parliament. And the new government of North Macedonia has stated that it will amend the constitution only if Bulgaria first approves North Macedonia's membership in the EU.
Previously, North Macedonia's accession to the EU was blocked by Greece due to another dispute over history and heritage. It was resolved in 2018 after the country changed its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia.
Add
The comments by North Macedonian politicians came amid reports that EU ambassadors have decided to push Albania's EU accession process independently of North Macedonia. Although so far, both applications have been promoted together. The two countries became EU candidates two decades ago, although accession negotiations have not started.
Recall
In the summer, the President of North Macedonia , Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said in her speech at the second plenary session of the Global Peace Summit that the security architecture of Europe is under threat, and the unprovoked war that Russia has started against Ukraine affects everyone.
