Swedish Ambassador to North Macedonia Ola Sohlström, in an interview with Portalb.mk, reaffirmed his country’s position as a leading advocate of European Union enlargement, emphasizing its full support for North Macedonia’s path toward EU membership.
Sohlström said that Sweden wants to see North Macedonia become a full member of the European family as soon as possible. In this context, he welcomed the joint French-German non-paper as a very useful and constructive contribution to the debate, explaining that it demonstrates the genuine commitment of the EU institutions and its largest member states to advancing the enlargement process as far as possible.
Regarding the accession negotiations, the ambassador delivered a clear and firm message to the North Macedonian government, reiterating his call for “reforms, reforms, reforms.”
“Reforms are not a one-time process but a continuous commitment to remaining competitive, staying relevant, and moving the country forward,” he said.
According to him, reforms in the fight against corruption, good governance, the rule of law, transparency, and accountability are of vital importance and form the core or fundamental chapters that are the first to be opened and the last to be closed in the accession negotiations.
The ambassador called for these reforms to continue at full speed and not be reduced to a mere box-ticking process, as they are what people genuinely want and expect from their society.
Another particularly important point addressed in the interview is the issue of disinformation campaigns carried out by various actors to increase Euroscepticism in the country. Sohlström highlighted the fact that these deceptive campaigns, full of factual inaccuracies and out-of-context claims, aim to undermine reform efforts and the country’s path toward the EU.
“Disinformation is being used as a tool by external actors who do not have North Macedonia’s and its citizens’ best interests in mind. Their aim is to undermine the reform process and the country’s path toward the European Union. This is a serious threat. The government, to my knowledge, is fully aware of this phenomenon. We have discussed this issue with a number of institutions and partners in the country, and it remains our focus,” he said.
Sweden recommends a whole-of-society approach, which requires strengthening media literacy, encouraging individuals to take a more critical approach to the news they consume, and using technological tools to filter out disinformation, describing this as a serious security issue.
The ambassador focused on the opportunities and concrete support that the embassy provides to the country, particularly through programs aimed at empowering young people and strengthening economic cooperation. The Swedish embassy manages an ambitious development program that offers expertise, twinning arrangements in areas such as statistics and policing, as well as professional training for young people in cooperation with major Swedish companies.
Sweden is also opening important doors for economic development by encouraging the growth in the number of Swedish companies in the country, as well as by inviting Macedonian entrepreneurs and companies to take advantage of the opportunities of the Swedish market of 10 million consumers, which serves as an excellent gateway to the entire Nordic region and the EU market.
