Brussels, 10/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - In its progress report published on Tuesday 10 November, the European Commission announced that the accession process of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) was at a “critical juncture”.
While the Commission is “prepared to extend its recommendation to open accession negotiations” with FYROM “in the light of the progress made so far in the implementation of the political agreement” of 2 June and 15 July, it states that this recommendation is “conditional on the continued implementation of the June/July political agreement and substantial progress in the implementation of the urgent reform priorities”. These reforms must focus on the rule of law and the judiciary, the depoliticisation of the public administration, electoral legislation and the freedom of expression. “This issue (Ed: of the recommendation of opening the accession negotiations) will be addressed again after the elections” that are planned for April 2016, the Commission states.
In its report, the Commission underlines “the divisive political culture in the country”. During a press conference, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said that the political crisis was “difficult, delicate and not yet overcome”. For the Commission, the country must also make progress on fundamental rights, independence of the judiciary and media freedom. “The inter-ethnic situation also remains fragile”, the Commission states, calling for measures to strengthen inter-ethnic trust, including through completion of the review of the Ohrid Framework Agreement. The country must also make progress on the reform of the public administration.
In the Commission's view, FYROM “is participating actively in regional cooperation and further developing bilateral relations with its neighbours” and maintaining good neighbourly relations. Including a solution on the name “remains essential”.
The country also has “a relatively good level” of alignment with the acquis, but “more focus is needed on administrative capacity and effective implementation”, the Commission states. As regards economic criteria, the Commission believes that Skopje has “a good level of preparation in developing a functioning market economy” but is “moderately” prepared to cope with competitive pressures and market forces within the EU. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)