On Wednesday 7 June, European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn announced that the Commission would send a group of independent experts "to help and advise the new government on systemic rule of law issues" in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). The new government, led by Social Democrat Zoran Zaev, was elected by the parliament on 1 June.
The experts group will visit the country soon to carry out an analysis of the current situation, follow-up on their previous findings and provide recommendations on how to address concerns in relation to systemic rule of law issues. The group will be led by Reinhard Priebe, a retired Commission director for the Western Balkans.
Alongside this, Hahn has asked the head of the EU delegation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Samuel Žbogar, to discuss EU-related reform priorities with the new government, with specific deliverables and timelines, and to see how the EU can provide assistance and advice to accompany these reforms. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)