On Wednesday 6 December, European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said he would like the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to adopt the necessary measures for implementing its main reforms by the end of December, in order to enable the country to move ahead on its European path.
The reforms are of the judiciary, intelligence services, public administration and independent media regulator.
"If all the areas are managed well and the legislative measures adopted by the end of the year, we will be able to enter into a new phase and see if we can offer an unconditional recommendation concerning the future start of the negotiations and the opening of the negotiations, provided that the country continues its reform process", Hahn said at a press conference with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. The Commission will publish its progress reports on the enlargement countries in the spring, probably in April.
Juncker underlined the "remarkable progress" made by the country in recent months, and said he hoped the reform process would continue.
Zaev underlined Skopje's efforts to improve its neighbourhood relations, especially with Greece and Bulgaria, and Juncker hailed this progress. "We believe that by forming friendly relations with our neighbours and the rest of the world we can enable Macedonia to come closer to its primary objective – full and complete EU accession", Zaev stated. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)