Brussels, 10/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - For the fourth year in a row, the European Commission made a recommendation on Wednesday 10 October to open accession negotiations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). The 2012 progress report emphasises that, “the European Commission considers that progress in the accession process in the next stage will be necessary to consolidate the pace and sustainability of reforms, mitigate the risk of any backtracking in this process and strengthen inter-ethnic relations”.
According to the Commission, opening negotiations could help towards resolving the dispute between Greece and FYROM over the name of “Macedonia”. The report illustrates that “a European Council decision to open accession negotiations would help to create favourable conditions for finding such a solution”. The report also adds that the Commission is prepared to submit a proposal within the framework of negotiations very soon, which will also take into account the need to resolve the question of the name at an early stage in the accession negotiations.
The Commission points out that Skopje is continuing to sufficiently meet the political criteria of accession and underlines the fact that the government put the European agenda at the heart of its activities. The progress report explains that the High-Level Dialogue set up in 2012 has acted as a catalyst for speeding up reforms in a certain number of key areas and has helped to create substantial progress. The report highlights the fact that the pace of reforms has to be maintained, with emphasis on the implementation of the rule of law, including the freedom of expression but also inter-ethnic relations and reconciliation. Efforts must also be made at an economic level, particularly in the fight against unemployment and strengthening the market economy. (CG/trans/fl)