Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has said his country could join the EU in 2025, following the decision of the EU General Affairs Council, confirmed by the European Council, to open EU accession negotiations conditionally for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in June 2019 (see EUROPE 12049).
"The EU accession process does not end with the opening of negotiation chapters. On the contrary, the past experiences show the negotiations last for seven years on average, or more. If the Republic of Macedonia follows this timeline, it means that the negotiations will result in membership in 2025 – exactly as envisaged in the (European Commission's) enlargement strategy of February 2018", Zaev said at a press conference with European Council President Donald Tusk.
In February, the Commission's strategy considered that the most advanced countries in the accession process – Serbia and Montenegro – could join in 2025 (see EUROPE 11955).
Zaev also wrong-footed the European leaders wanting to consolidate the EU before enlarging it. "The next enlargement, which will include the Republic of Macedonia, is in his essence a consolidation of the EU. This consolidation will be completed when it will have accepted the Western Balkans countries in its family when they meet the requirements", he added.
Tusk said that the decision of the General Affairs Council approved by the European leaders would not have been possible "without the significant steps taken by (the) government towards strengthening democracy and the rule of law in (the) country, as well as introducing structural reforms and reaching out to (its) neighbours".
Like Tusk, the European Council greatly welcomed and gave its support to the agreement between FYROM and Greece on the name issue. This agreement, with the neighbourhood treaty, on good relations and cooperation between Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, sets the example for others in the region to strengthen good neighbourly relations, the leaders added in their conclusions.
Adoption of conclusions on enlargement
Furthermore, in addition to giving its support to the conditional opening of Skopje's accession negotiations, the European Council approved the conditional opening of accession negotiations with Albania. The conclusions on the process of enlargement and stabilisation and association that they endorsed also relate to Turkey's accession process, which is "at a standstill", and to Montenegro and Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina (see EUROPE 12049, 12050). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)