EU: The new Macedonian government to advance the path towards integration

2024-05-10 19:03:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The European Union has encouraged the political factors in North Macedonia to work on creating a Parliament and a stable government, which will advance the path of European integration of Skopje.

This is what the EU's high representative for foreign policy and security, Josep Borrell, and the commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said through a joint statement regarding the parliamentary and presidential elections that were held in North Macedonia on May 8. .

The two senior European officials said that the parliamentary and presidential elections took place in a peaceful and democratic atmosphere, in which fundamental freedoms were respected, although, according to Borrell and Varhely, there remained some processes that have not yet been properly regulated.

The parliamentary elections were won by VMRO DPMNE, which until now has been in the opposition, while the presidential ones were won by the candidate of the same party, Gordana Silanovska-Davkova.

"The EU congratulates President Silanovska-Davkova on her election and is happy to cooperate with the new president, the first woman as head of state in North Macedonia", the communique said.

Borrell and Verhelyi reminded North Macedonia that it must work on reforms that will help it on its European path.

"We encourage all relevant political actors to work on the formation of Parliament and a stable government. Both institutions must work together to advance North Macedonia on the road to the EU, including through the implementation of reforms in the field of the rule of law and the fight against corruption, in the interest of all citizens", said Borrell and Varhelyi. .

According to two senior European officials, Skopje has taken decisive steps in the process of joining the European bloc and it is important for the state to implement the obligations "that have remained necessary for the opening of the first block of chapters in the membership process".

North Macedonia has not yet approved the constitutional changes for the Bulgarian minority to be recognized as a state-forming people. These changes are a condition for North Macedonia to continue negotiations for EU membership.

VMRO, which won the most votes in the elections and started the negotiations for the formation of the Government, does not support these constitutional changes, while the elected president said that if the Parliament approves the changes, she would respect them./ REL