9 November 2016
The crisis in Macedonia is not yet over. There have been positive steps in terms of the Pržino Agreement, especially that elections were scheduled for December 11 and which are a vital opportunity to overcome the crisis, said EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn at a press conference after the presentation […]
9 November 2016
In the key findings from the European Commission’s progress report on Macedonia, it notes that the country faces the continuation of the most severe political crisis since 2001. The report also noted that the country suffers from a divisive political culture and lacks the capacity for compromise. Here is a brief summary of the findings: […]
9 November 2016
The European Commission, this year, reiterated the conditional recommendation for Macedonia’s membership in the European Union. Johannes Hahn, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, who presented the report on Macedonia, said the country must meet all the conditions laid down by the Pržino Agreement. “We still have not made it out of […]
9 November 2016
Tomorrow the European Commission will publish their report on EU enlargement and the progress report on the Western Balkans, but the next report, instead of next year, will be published as late as 2018, according to “Meta” sources from Brussels. Unofficially, within the European Commission there is a sense of weariness surrounding the reports, especially […]
25 October 2016
The European Commission today repeated their previous stance that the Special Prosecutor’s Office is a key part of the Pržino Agreement, signed by all the leaders of the main political parties. However, for now, Brussels do not yet wish to comment on whether they will take tougher measures or sanctions due to the obstruction of […]
21 October 2016
The international community, who brokered the Pržino Agreement, after the SPO encountered obstructions in their investigation into the UBK (Administration of Security and Counterintelligence), they stated that Katica Janeva must have the support of all the institutions while carrying out full and independent investigations. The guarantors of the Pržino Agreement had various reactions to yesterday’s events, and reminded […]
4 October 2016
After the ruling majority in Parliament rejected the proposals for amendments to the Law on the SPO, as well as amendments to the Law on Witness Protection, the EU delegation in Skopje called on all signatories to the Pržino Agreement to uphold and respect the agreement and to fully support the work of the Special […]
7 September 2016
The European Commission has given approval for the construction of the “Balkan” gas hub, which should be built in Bulgaria. At the conference for investors, which took place in Varna, Bulgaria, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said that the approval lays the ground for negotiations to begin for collecting maximum amounts of natural gas. He stressed […]
16 August 2016
Macedonians have more faith in the European Union, than they do in Macedonian institutions such as Parliament and the Government shows a survey by the ‘Standard Eurobarometer’ carried out by the European Commission in the member states and in the five candidate countries, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Turkey and Macedonia. According to the survey, 58% of […]
14 July 2016
Brussels welcomed the progress made yesterday at the negotiations held at the EU residence in Pržino, however, they have called on all the parties to find a solution to the remaining issue. “We welcome that parties made progress during their discussions yesterday and we encourage them to urgently reach agreement on the remaining issue, which […]
6 July 2016
The European Commission has decided not to finance Corridor 8 because of the problems and shortcomings in the transport sector in Macedonia, stated Maja Kocijanicic. “The transport connectivity project which the country submitted, for Corridor 8, will be considered as soon as outstanding issues in that sector, such as sector strategy and coordination, have been […]
2 July 2016
The European Commission has decided to cut 27.1 million euros from IPA funds for Macedonia, reports “Alsat M“. The European Commission has informed the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, according to the information from this media outlet, and they are planning to cut 50 million euros from the remaining IPA funds. The European Office […]
2 July 2016
“The deteriorating political context is one of the reasons why the government and the administration have unfortunately not been able, or willing, to deliver on reform commitments or to demonstrate the necessary preparedness to plan necessary reforms or implement EU funds in these areas”, said the EC spokesperson, Maja Kocijanic when our journalists at “Meta” […]
29 June 2016
The European Commission reacted too late to the developments in Macedonia, sais Austrian MEP Hannes Swoboda in an interview with “European Western Balkans” (EWB) especially to the social democracy in the Western Balkans. Regarding the fact that Macedonia has been ranked as the weakest candidate for EU membership according to the Press Freedom Index, Swoboda […]
23 June 2016
European Commission spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic today reacted to the decision made the opposition party, the SDSM to freeze its participation in Parliament until the Constitutional Court rules on the constitutionality of the SPO. “The parties have themselves the responsibility to bring their country back onto the Euro-Atlantic path. This is not business as usual and […]
21 June 2016
Brussels today again urged Macedonian political leaders to return to the negotiating table and create conditions for credible elections. They also stressed that the coming weeks are crucial for the European future of the country. “Yesterday the Foreign Affairs Council discussed the situation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. As expressed by the HR/VP […]
20 May 2016
The European Commission has been following the latest developments, said EC spokesperson Maja Kocijancic when she was asked to comment by “Meta” journalists on the decision by Parliament on the partial pardons and what measures could be monitored by Brussels. “We are following the latest developments in the country; on this particular issue as expressed […]
17 May 2016
We call on the political leaders in the country and the relevant authorities to take decisive steps to solve the current situation, and respect the Przhino Agreement, said Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for the European Commission in response to the question, how will Macedonia continue to receive financial aid for the refugee crisis if the new […]
16 May 2016
There aren’t even minimum conditions for credible elections on June 5th, which would be recognized by the International Community, and the Government which would come out of those elections, said European Commission spokesperson Maja Kocijancic to ‘Deutsche Welle’. According to Kocijancic, in the current conditions, any government that emerges from the elections in which the […]
14 May 2016
Brussels regrets that the continued political crisis has caused the country to move away from Euro-Atlantic aspirations, a spokesman for the European Commission told “Meta”. “The Commission notes that several parties have not submitted their list of candidates to the State Election Commission by yesterday’s deadline. We do not see that the minimum conditions to […]
