Nikola Dimitrov, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs of North Macedonia, remained silent for 16 seconds before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Thursday 30 September to “illustrate the 16 years” that have passed since his country applied for membership in the European Union (2005) without being able to “start the journey”.
North Macedonia is “the most radical example of the wrong side of the EU’s expansionist policy”, he said, and “it is really time to move forward”, as the EU’s “broken promise” “weakens pro-European forces and makes other - probably more nationalistic - forces stronger”. He called on EU leaders to “send a strong political signal” at the Western Balkans summit in Slovenia on 6 October.
The same tone was struck by the Parliamentary Assembly’s political groups during the debate on the role of the Council of Europe in relation to the European aspirations of the western Balkans.
Greek MEP George Katrougalos, speaking on behalf of the European United Left, said that “Europe has failed”; Italian Socialist Piero Fassino said that “the Union must be aware of the need to break the deadlock”; Austrian Liberal Stephanie Krisper said that “clear and concrete promises are needed”; and Aleksander Pociej of Poland, speaking on behalf of the European People’s Party, demanded “a very strong commitment from the European Union and the Council of Europe”.
For the Council of Europe, this commitment will be based on the work of the Venice Commission and its bodies for combating corruption, discrimination, etc. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)