Strasbourg, 23/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 23 May, MEPs called on the member states to open accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) - a candidate country since December 2005 - “before the end of June 2013”.
In Richard Howitt's report (S&D, United Kingdom), which they adopted widely (505 votes in favour, 61 against and 31 abstentions), the MEPs call on the Council to set, “as soon as possible”, a date for starting the negotiations. The Council must decide on the issue by unanimity in June, but Greece is still opposed (see EUROPE 10834) and Bulgaria also has a “serious objection” to this opening - waiting for Skopje to sign a treaty of good neighbourly relations with Sofia.
The MEPs say that the Parliament is “firmly convinced” that the opening of the negotiations could give fresh momentum to the continuation of reforms, could facilitate the inter-ethnic dialogue, and could improve relations with its neighbourhood. They want the definitive conclusion of the name issue “without any further delay” and they encourage the continuation of diplomatic exchanges between FYROM, Greece and Bulgaria.
The Parliament calls on Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle to assess the cost of non-enlargement, including the main risks if the current status quo continues.
Welcoming the recent unlocking of the political stalemate, the MEPs call for in-depth reform of the procedures of FYROM's parliament, and for the respect of this institution. They want the political dialogue to be strengthened so as to avoid a rift in society along ethnic lines. The MEPs also stress the need for more efforts in order to apply anti-corruption legislation, guarantee the independence and impartiality of the judicial power, fight against self-censorship among journalists, and strengthen the fight against discrimination (our translation throughout). (CG/transl.fl)