The three MEPs and rapporteurs for Macedonia, Eduard Kukan, Knut Fleckenstein and Ivo Vajgl, together with EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, issued a joint statement, and stated that they recognize the parliamentary elections on December 11, 2016, as an important step in overcoming the political crisis in Macedonia.
“This process needs to continue in order to get the country back on the EU integration path. There is no time to lose!” Reads the joint statement.
Diplomats in Brussels appealed to political leaders to find, with full respect of all legal deadlines, common ground for forming a stable, solid and accountable government. “Such a coalition should rally around a strong, inclusive, reformist consensus and inter-ethnic cooperation. All of this is vital to put the country back onto the path of European integration, which all parties have committed to and which the citizens want and deserve”, says the statement.
It states that it is a long-term process, which requires all political parties, who share the strategic objective, work together to make the necessary changes possible.
“We appeal to all politicians to continue working hard and fast on the implementation of the Pržino Agreement and the Urgent Reform Priorities and to support the Special Prosecutor’s Office, which must have the time and resources to do its job in an independent, non-politicised way”, concluded the statement.
