Brussels, 16/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 16 October, the European Commission recommended, for a fifth consecutive year, the opening of European Union accession negotiations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
An accession candidate since 2005, FYROM continues to fulfil the political criteria for EU membership. In its 2013 progress report, the European Commission reiterates it call for a solution to the name issue, which is blocking the opening of the negotiations. “It's Skopje that has the keys to resolving the main issue and that must measure the cost of not compromising”, said Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle (our translation).
The Commission sees in the political crisis, which affected FYROM in December 2012 and resulted in a political agreement at the beginning of March (see EUROPE 10797), “the need for more inclusive and constructive politics”. The recommendations of the committee of inquiry on the events of December “now need to be fully implemented in practice”, the Commission adds.
In the Commission's view, the priority for the year to come should be the effective application of the existing legal and political frameworks, with particular emphasis on the independence and competence of the law courts, freedom of expression and relations with the media, electoral reforms, the fight against corruption which affects the business environment, and the implementation of the recommendations of the review of the Ohrid framework agreement.
FYROM has achieved a good level of alignment with the EU as regards legislation, policies and administrative capacity, but emphasis must now be put on administrative capacity and coordination mechanisms to ensure effective implementation, the Commission states. (CG/transl.fl)