Despite demonstrations by thousands of Greeks opposed to the name change of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Hellenic Parliament has ratified the Prespa Agreement by 153 votes in favour - two more than necessary - to 146 against. This vote was immediately welcomed by the EU and NATO, as it should enable Skopje to make progress on its Euro-Atlantic path.
In a joint statement, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, said that “Athens and Skopje have, together, written a new page of our common EU future”. “It took political courage, leadership and responsibility on all sides to resolve one of the most entrenched disputes in the region”, they said.
On Twitter, Mr Hahn said that this success could not have been achieved without a firm prospect of EU membership for the future North Macedonia.
“Mission impossible accomplished”, summed up the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, who said Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras “had imagination, they took the risk, they were ready to sacrifice their own interests for the greater good. Zoran, Alexis, well done”, he added.
On the European Parliament side, Foreign Affairs Committee Chair David McAllister (EPP, Germany) and FYROM rapporteur Ivo Vajgl (ALDE, Slovenia) praised "the immense political sense, determination and political courage of the leaders, supported by the parliaments of both countries". According to them, "the compromise would not have been possible without the support and responsibility of the political and civic actors of both countries".
The Greens/EFA and S&D groups also welcomed the ratification.
While the EPP group did not react to the vote as such, when questioned by EUROPE, Cristian Dan Preda (Romania), EPP Foreign Affairs Coordinator, welcomed it. “It is both proof of political responsibility and the hope that the European path of North Macedonia, which has been delayed for so many years, can be unblocked”, he explained. He said that for the other countries in the region wishing to join the EU, this was a "positive signal and an encouragement to work towards reconciliation".
Nea Dimokratia, which is part of the EPP, voted against the agreement. Its leader, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, described Friday 25 January as "a difficult and sad day for Greece".
For the time being, Greek Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, who had described the agreement as "unbalanced and moreover problematic", did not react. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)