Tag: European Commission

The European Commission refused to comment about the participation of Austria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sebastian Kurz at the VMRO-DPMNE rally and his meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Poposki. When asked by “Meta” how they would comment on the visit by a higher-ranking representative of an EU country member, from Brussels, said that they stand behind the statement that was...

Today the European Commission is proposing checks for anyone from a third country entering the Schengen Area of the European Union, even if the country has a visa-free regime. With this move, the EU will have a similar system which already exists in the US. The proposed system, European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be similar to the...

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia agrees with the European Commission’s assessment that the freedom of the press in Macedonia this year has worsened. The representatives of the Association have said that the Commission’s Progress Report was right to conclude that in the majority of the Macedonian media there is a lack of political pluralism and that the national...

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 of the progress reports...

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: Inter-ethnic situation: Fragile Civil Society: Plays an...

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 the domestic political crisis regardless of...

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 considering that they do not...

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 the work of the SPO,...

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 all parties involved, that resolving...

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 Prosecutor’s Office. “The role of...

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 that while the EU was...

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 Macedonians have confidence in the...

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 can be found with the...

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 addressed and the conditions met....

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 who is responsible for investigations related...

"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" asked "Why have the...

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 says that it is only...

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 any further inaction will have...

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 Federica Mogherini, there was "a...

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 in the joint statement by...