This is Macedonia’s seventh consecutive year, receiving recommendations from the European Commission to start negotiations for membership in the European Union, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski announced after the EU Ambassador to Macedonia, Aivo Orav received the annual report on the country’s progress in European integration.
Gruevski said that the political report evaluates the characteristics of Macedonia through the prism of the interests of the EU and added that the people in the elections in April next year will give their report.
“Of course, the topics covered in the report the best grade you can give a people, because it is the people in our country who know best the daily challenges they face them know all the actors and circumstances, and the evaluation report will be when the people will come the too the next elections it will be clear and everyone will be clear that it is the people in this country who decide”, said Gruevski.
The Prime Minister stressed that the report has positive comments and opinions, but the marked areas in which there is insufficient progress.
“There is criticism as well, but the fact that there is a recommendation, means that the positive moments tipped the scales in the assessment of the European Commission in terms of meeting the criteria. We hope that after meeting the criteria, after the elections in 2016 we are not subject to new obstacles and conditions, and not receiving a date for negotiations “, said the Prime Minister, adding that the “status quo” situation in terms of Euro-Atlantic integration is bad for the country .
Macedonia, said Gruevski expects the integration process and a date for negotiations, which will be a confirmation of all that has been done so far and what will be done.
“The government will thoroughly study and analyse the report of the Commission. The evaluations, observations and recommendations, as before, a road map for the future activities of the Government in the accession process, and will be translated into concrete additional measures to update the Governmental Action Plan for urgent reform priorities and the National Program for the Adoption of the Action . Effective implementation of these documents remains a priority task of the Government”, the Prime Minister said.
Gruevski referred to the problem with the name issue and repeated the Macedonian Government’s willingness to find a solution within the international legal framework defined by the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.
“We want to have a proactive and intensive process at the highest political level. Time has shown that delaying the resolution of this issue is of no use to anybody, but it is important to note that any disproportionate and unconventional condition would not contribute to finding a solution to any important issue for our country”, said the Prime Minister, adding that Macedonia remains committed to developing confidence measures agreed for building trust with Greece.
