Brussels, 21/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 20 March, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle said he hoped that the presidential and general elections on 13 April would “free and fair”. At the end of a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Besimi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Poposki, of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Füle expressed his expectation that “the conduct of the upcoming elections, under a newly revised and implemented election framework, will be free and fair, and that all parties and citizens will engage in mature political discourse”. Their discussions during the meeting, therefore, focused on implementation of the political agreement of 1 March 2013 and the key reform priorities, including in the fields of freedom of media, judicial independence and electoral legislation, as well as good neighbourly relations.
The politicians also discussed EU related reforms, including the role of high level accession dialogue. It was agreed to prepare another round of this dialogue, following the formation of the new government - a round which specifically focuses on addressing the issues of the rule of law and fundamental rights and good neighbourly relations. The agenda will contain fewer issues than during the previous rounds of high level accession dialogue and particular attention will be paid “to the concrete challenges on the ground so that the results achieved can contribute to further advancing the accession process”, said Füle. He stressed the importance of inclusiveness and stated that the National Council on European Integration should play a role in further EU-related reforms and as part of the dialogue. (CG)