EU Hopes N. Macedonia Membership Talks To Open This Year
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Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
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Olivér Várhelyi, European Union Enlargement Commissioner
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EU Hopes N. Macedonia Membership Talks To Open This Year
AFP - Agence France Presse
October 7, 2020
The European Union's enlargement commissioner voiced hope Wednesday that North Macedonia could enter accession talks by the end of the year, despite the country's cultural disputes with neighbouring Bulgaria.
Negotiations could begin during the German presidency of the bloc, which ends on December 31, commissioner Oliver Varhelyi told reporters in Skopje.
North Macedonia is still waiting for a date to start formal accession talks with the European Union, although the bloc gave the green light in March.
The country last year added "North" to its name, a move which ended a decades-long dispute with Greece and opened the door to the EU.
But Skopje now faces threats from Bulgaria to block the beginning of talks over a separate spat.
Sofia disputes the origin of the Macedonian language, calling it a Bulgarian dialect.
And both countries lay claim to certain historical events and figures, mainly from the Ottoman era.
"It is in the interest of both Bulgaria and North Macedonia to find a solution for the issues that arouse misunderstandings. Without clearing them it will be very difficult to go forward," Varhelyi told a joint press conference with North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
"This is the moment for reaching an agreement" between the two countries, Varhelyi said, adding that the EU will do "all we can to help in the process".
Bulgaria and North Macedonia in mid-2017 signed a landmark "friendship treaty" establishing a joint commission, consisting mainly of historians, tasked with finding a solution to the historic issues.
Sofia had since then supported North Macedonia's EU bid.
North Macedonia is Varhelyi's first stop on a tour of Western Balkans EU hopefuls.
His visit came a day after the European Commission, the bloc's executive, announced a nine-billion-euro ($10.6 billion) investment package for the region -- which encompasses Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia.
The scheme aims to boost the regional economy, improve integration and help the countries -- which are significantly poorer than most EU members -- become greener and more digitally adept.
© Agence France-Presse