On Wednesday 25 January, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and the European Parliament mediators Ivo Vajgl (ALDE, Slovenia), Knut Fleckenstein (S&D, Germany) and Eduard Kukan (EPP, Slovakia) called for the formation of a government in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
"We appeal to all political leaders to find, in full respect of all legal deadlines, common grounds for forming a stable, solid and accountable government", they said in a press release. The parliamentary elections were held on 11 December.
According to Hahn, Kukan Vajgl and Fleckenstein, "such a coalition should rally around a strong, inclusive, reformist consensus and inter-ethnic cooperation". They added that this was "vital" to put the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia back onto the path of European integration. "This is a long-term process, which requires that all political parties, who share this strategic objective, work together to make the necessary changes possible", they said.
Hahn and the three MEPs also appealed to all politicians to continue working "hard and fast" on the implementation of the Pržino Agreement and the Urgent Reform Priorities and to support the Special Prosecutor's Office, "which must have the time and resources to do its job in an independent, non-politicised way". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)