In Brussels to meet the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commissioner for Enlargement and others, the Macedonian Foreign Minister, Bujar Osmani, met with EUROPE to take stock of his country’s EU accession process and European assistance to Covid-19 (Interview by Camille-Cerise Gessant).
Agence Europe – The Commission is expected to publish its progress report on North Macedonia in the coming days or weeks. What do you expect from this report?
Bujar Osmani – This year has been unique with the pandemic and its social and economic consequences.
It was also a year in which elections were held in the country [...] in an orderly and inclusive manner. The government was formed quickly after the election results were certified and, for us, this is a sign of the maturity of the political elites (see EUROPE 12549/20).
The country was governed by decree a few months before the elections, as parliament had been dissolved and the elections subsequently delayed due to the pandemic. With a technocratic government, we have continued to work on our European reform agenda, and I believe that this will be taken into account in the next progress report, especially taking into account the fact that we are focusing on implementation rather than on new legislation, which we could not draft because of the dissolution of parliament.
This should be our approach in the future: moving from legislation to implementation, with a focus on results achieved. This will allow us to take stock of the concrete results of this legislation, which is in line with EU standards and regulations, and how it affects people’s daily lives.
When do you plan to hold your first intergovernmental conference?
The first intergovernmental conference is of the utmost importance. It means the operationalisation of the political consensus that was reached in March by the 27 Member States to launch the accession process for North Macedonia.
The precondition for holding this conference is to have a consensus on the text of the negotiating box and the debate is currently taking place in the EU Council bodies (see EUROPE 12519/18). The text is acceptable for us.
Our plan is not to have a shortcut to the EU, but rather to be fully prepared to meet the criteria. What worries us are the attempts to bilateralisation of the negotiating box or to use it as a platform to impose a unilateral solution to bilateral problems for which there are alternative platforms, such as the agreements we have with our neighbours.
But I am very optimistic that we are going to use this time to talk to our neighbours at the political level, but also at expert level, to try to find solutions to the outstanding issues and problems. [...]
The intergovernmental conference is expected to take place in December. We can therefore start preparing the opening criteria and all the procedures for opening the first group (of accession negotiation chapters).
Which group of chapters would you like to open first (see EUROPE 12419/2)?
This is part of the debate, since the final text of the negotiating box has not yet been finalised. There are therefore different options as to how the approach will be adopted.
The important thing is that everything starts with the group of core chapters and ends with this one, i.e., Chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights), 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security), 5 (Public Procurement) and other financial control instruments.
We have been in this [accession] process for so long that we have made progress across the whole range of the acquis communautaire, so what is needed now is the trigger for a process. And I believe that all the experience, energy and progress accumulated will be used to move the process forward quickly.
You mentioned bilateral issues. There seems to be some tension at the moment with Bulgaria. Can you tell us what is going on?
In 2017, we signed a Good Neighbourhood Agreement, the aim of which was to separate the differences of interpretation of historical events that weigh on all bilateral relations from political and economic cooperation.
Over the past 3 years, we have been able to make progress in achieving these two objectives.
This takes time, of course. In 18 months, the commissions have met nine times. It is obvious that this has been slowed down by the pandemic and by the elections. Now is the time for this dynamic to intensify. The commission will meet on the 15 October for the first time since the elections.
And we hope that these commissions can find a common language on how to interpret and celebrate together the figures that historically link our peoples. This is part of the commitment we have made, and we are not going to back out of it.
But the second set of questions about the attributes of identity is unacceptable to us, since they derive from the contemporary right to self-determination and self-expression.
We need to absorb these differences in our relationships and find ways to move forward. We must every one of us keep the future in mind, and not the past, and leave it to scientists, outside the constraints of political dynamics, to move forward with good will, in good faith, to find common ground and common bridges in a shared history.
In parallel with the publication of the Progress Report, the investment plan for the Western Balkans is expected to be presented. What do you expect from this plan?
This is a very important initiative. On 1 October, we will have a videoconference meeting with Commissioner Várhelyi to discuss the details.
The EU has proved to be a very effective partner in times of crisis. The comprehensive and timely assistance that the countries of the Western Balkans received during the pandemic made us understand what it means to be part of the family.
This investment plan is an extension of the solidarity and partnership that the EU is developing with the Western Balkans. We hope that it will provide an important incentive for regional cooperation, but also for the partnership between the region and the EU.
You were talking about the Covid-19 pandemic. Can you tell us how the EU has helped North Macedonia during the crisis and have you received enough EU aid?
Everyone says that Europe was in shock at the beginning, but those of us in the region received substantial aid from the Union from the very first days of the crisis.
This meant direct financial support and management of health challenges, followed by a support package to manage the socio-economic consequences of this crisis and also to support the liquidity of the economy through macro-financial support in the form of loans. This assistance was timely and very well targeted.
This has therefore created a new perception, a new image of the EU not only in the Balkans. A Union that has passed the test of rapid reaction in times of crisis, not only within the EU, but also with partners in the Western Balkans.