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Von der Leyen calls on Skopje to approve constitutional changes

2024-10-24 15:41:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Von der Leyen calls on Skopje to approve constitutional changes

The head of the EC with the Macedonian Prime Minister in Skopje

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called on North Macedonia on Thursday to pass the constitutional changes in order to fulfill one of the decisive obligations on its way to membership in the European Union.

Von der Leyen met Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski during a visit to Skopje on Thursday as part of her tour of the Western Balkans, where she reiterated that EU enlargement remains one of her top priorities.

"We are almost there. I hope that with joint dialogue, all political forces in the country will come together and take the necessary decisive steps for progress. I am convinced that we can overcome the barriers that exist", said Von der Leyen on Thursday in a press conference together with Mickoski.

North Macedonia has lagged behind in the integration process and was dealt a blow this month when the EU opened the first chapter in membership negotiations with Albania, cutting Skopje out of the joint package with Tirana.

The reason is that North Macedonia has not fulfilled the condition set by Bulgaria to include the Bulgarian minority in the preamble of the country's Constitution.

This condition was included in the negotiating framework that the Macedonian Parliament voted on in July 2022, a proposal that is also known as the "French proposal". The opposition, which at that time was led by VMRO-DPME, was against the constitutional changes.

In the May elections of this year, VMRO came first and took the leadership of the government, and Prime Minister Mickoski has made it clear that he wants to renegotiate the "French proposal".

But, during the conference with the head of the EC on Thursday, Mickoski declared that his government remains committed to the right path to the EU and that with the help of the bloc "every challenge can be overcome".

"Our goal is clear, we want to be part of the European family, sharing the same values ??of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights. We are aware that before us there are important challenges in the field of justice, the fight against corruption, economic development and the strengthening of institutions that remain decisive for our future", Mickoski said.

Mickoski, ignoring the request of the EC for constitutional changes and the inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in it, said that his Government welcomes the help of the European Union to continue the process of European integration.

Von der Leyen praised the progress of North Macedonia and other Western Balkan countries on the reform agenda and announced that Skopje will benefit from more than 750 million euros from the Growth Plan, including the first installment of 52 million euros, until end of the year.

"Be sure that enlargement will remain a top priority for the European Commission in the next five years. Now we have all the necessary tools and instruments to enable this", said the head of the EC.

In addition to the meeting with Prime Minister Mickoski, she will also meet with the country's president, Gordana Silanovksa - Davkova.

Von der Leyen arrived in the Macedonian capital from Tirana, where she had started her tour in the six countries of the region.

Meanwhile, on Friday she will visit Bosnia and Herzegovina, where in Sarajevo she will meet with the members of the Presidency of Bosnia, as well as with the head of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Krishto, and then she will go to Belgrade, for meetings with the Serbian president. , Aleksandar Vu?i? and with Prime Minister Miloš Vu?evi?.

On Saturday, Von der Leyen will stay in Pristina, where he will meet with President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. After that, she will also stay in Podgorica, thus ending the regional tour that started on Wednesday with the visit to Tirana.

On the eve of her visit, the European Commission officially defined the reform agenda for North Macedonia and four other countries of the Western Balkans on Wednesday, giving the region access to the Reform Fund, which provides six billion euros in aid.

Bosnia and Herzegovina was excluded from the package after presenting an incomplete reform agenda in Brussels./REL