REL: Skopje and Tirana on the verge of opening negotiations with the EU

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borell, who confirmed the date of the opening of membership negotiations, said that this is a “historic moment”.

“This is good news. We don’t have much good news, but I hope this will strengthen our commitment in the (Western) Balkans,” Josep Borell told reporters on July 18.

A Macedonian Government delegation led by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, on Monday, traveled to Brussels to participate in this act, after 17 years of waiting, since the country has officially been a candidate for full EU membership since 2005.

The European integration process of North Macedonia was initially blocked by Greece, which contested the name of the state.

The agreement with Athens to change the name, Macedonia to North Macedonia, was reached on 17 June 2018.

However, with this agreement, the European integration of this country was not unlocked as France blocked the process with the request to change the membership methodology for all the countries that belong to the EU expansion.

Neighboring Bulgaria was the next obstacle, which in November 2020 vetoed Skopje, seeking to resolve open disputes, mainly related to the Macedonian language, identity and history.

The holding of the first conference follows the approval of the document known as the “French proposal”, which led to the lifting of the Bulgarian veto, but Sofia retains the right to block the process at further stages, if the Macedonian side does not adhere to the proposal or a protocol that the two countries signed it on Sunday in Sofia.

The opening of the talks on Tuesday in Brussels is “symbolic”, since the real talks or those on the EU chapters will start only after North Macedonia changes its Constitution to include Bulgarians as equals with other peoples. .

This was also said by the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, after signing the protocol with the acting Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Teodora Gençovska.

“The second conference is conditional on the constitutional changes. Regarding this, there have been various, untrue speculations to confuse the public. This is what other countries have done, e.g. like Croatia, which in its Constitution has included all the entities that live in this country”, stated Osmani.

The Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Teodora Gençovska, has said that now after the removal of the veto, it depends on North Macedonia at what speed it will move on the road to the EU.

“You know that Bulgaria is a country that strongly supports the European integration of North Macedonia and Albania… But now it depends on North Macedonia whether it will go fast or slow, whether it will approve them in two months or two or three years constitutional changes”, stated Gençovska.

Skopje and Sofia sign the protocol for overcoming differences
Osmani: The new French proposal recognizes Macedonian as an official language in the EU

The protocol also foresees the settlement of historical disputes, for which commissions from both countries have been engaged, but without a deadline for when they should complete the work.

Experts need to find solutions for the content of the textbooks and the historical past as many events from the past and many historical figures are noted in both countries.

The protocol is a 20-page document that provides for many other areas of cooperation, including cooperation to combat hate speech.

Skopje is forced to remove all inscriptions and to vigorously fight against everything that is anti-Bulgarian.

The Macedonian opposition, meanwhile, remains in the position that North Macedonia will not start membership talks on Tuesday.

The head of VMRO DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, said on Monday that “real talks will start when the Constitution is changed”, but this, according to him, will not happen as the 44 deputies of his party will not allow a thing such.

“That protocol practically opened the doors of negotiations for Albania, closed them even more for Macedonia, because as Gençovska (Bulgaria’s foreign minister) herself says, the real intergovernmental conference will take place immediately after the changes to the Constitution and this will not to happen. VMRO DPMNE guarantees this, because the Government does not have two-thirds in the Parliament”, stated Mickoski.

He has not ruled out the possibility of organizing a referendum against the French proposal and the protocol with Bulgaria.

However, the Macedonian Government believes that “VMRO DPMNE’s blockades will not pass”, which, according to it, was proven by the increasingly low support of the opposition from the citizens in the protests.

According to the parties in power, North Macedonia “has no alternative but integration into the EU”, while it is convinced that the agreement reached with Bulgaria does not affect the issues related to the Macedonian language and identity.

At the same time as North Macedonia, Albania is also expected to start negotiations for EU membership.

Albania was included in a bloc with North Macedonia regarding the start of negotiations, and the Bulgarian veto imposed on Skopje also blocked Tirana’s path to the European bloc.

On July 16, the day Skopje approved the French proposal, Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, said his country had been held hostage by disputes between North Macedonia and Albania.

“The absurd kidnapping of Albania has ended”, declared Rama.

Albania received the status of a candidate state for EU membership in 2014.

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