Brussels, 27/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - While visiting Brussels on 27 November, the minister for foreign affairs from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Nikola Poposki, asked for the European Council's approval for the opening of accession negotiations, and he highlighted that this was “a necessity”. “We have been candidates for seven years (…) We are at a stage where it is a necessity (…) We fulfil the conditions to launch negotiations”, he said during his speech to MEPs from the foreign affairs committee. In his opinion, the opening of negotiations will enable more dynamic and hard hitting reforms to be made and is important for the country's socio-economic development. “At the level of the Balkans, we have to bring results at the level of reforms and the EU (…) has to enable those who show a certain merit to accede. The credibility of the enlargement policy has to be preserved, and our region has to come closer to the EU”, Poposki said.
The opening of negotiations - recommended in October for the fourth time by the European Commission - is blocked by Greece because of a difference of opinion on the name of FYROM. The country also has differences of opinion linked to its history with Bulgaria (see EUROPE 10723). In Poposki's view, the time has come “to concentrate on a strategic decision in the enlargement file”. “The obstacles do not generate a good environment and they are not favourable to a solution. On the other hand, facilitating euro-Atlantic integration improves things. Often negotiations on accession have enabled things to be resolved”, he said, adding that settling the question of the name under the United Nations “can happen in parallel” to the negotiations - which the Commission has proposed (see EUROPE 10707). He also said that the process of enlargement must not be mixed with other subjects.
Poposki gave a long list of his country's progress since the last Council recommendations - progress on the judicial system, freedom of expression, the fight against corruption and organised crime, the representation of minorities, reforms in public administration and electoral reform, and the strengthening of the market economy.
Welcoming the high level dialogue set up by the European Commission while awaiting the opening of negotiations, Poposki recalled that this “useful” instrument “cannot substitute for the real process that a candidate country needs”. “We will continue to work flat out. The Macedonian government has adopted a plan for launching the negotiations. We are concentrating on a certain number of domains to try to win time in comparison with the demands that will be imposed in the negotiations”, Poposki said (our translation throughout).
The European Council is due to give its opinion on enlargement issues during the summit on 13-14 December. (CG/transl.fl)