Skopje, 22 July 2026 (MIA) - SDSM leader and chair of the National European Integration Council, Venko Filipche, warned at a council session Wednesday that the country risks falling behind the region in the EU accession process, noting that there is no alternative to membership in the European Union.

Filipche said enlargement is once again among the European Union’s top priorities, which, he said, is demonstrated by the concrete steps taken by Brussels that have been gradually reducing the skepticism of the citizens who have been disappointed by the long blockades of the process.

“Enlargement is one of the top priorities emphasized by the European Union over the past months, with concrete steps being taken, which, I would say, are tackling the skepticism especially among our citizens who are rightly disappointed by the many events over the past years. The EU accession process has never been easy,” Filipche stressed.

The opposition leader assessed that the latest reports by the European Commission send serious warnings about the situation in the country, especially concerning the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, fight against corruption, and influence over the institutions.

“With regret I can conclude that the latest reports by the European Commission are bad. This Government’s influence over the judiciary, the open influence by the highest members of the executive, the weak performance in the fight against corruption, the influence of the ‘Serbian world’ and with it the influence of Russia over the region, are some of the things openly stated in the reports. The EU reports also highlight control over the media and pressure on journalists,” Filipche said.

At the session, the chair of the National European Integration Council cautioned that North Macedonia remains the only candidate country that is yet to open a single negotiating chapter, while Albania, Montenegro, Moldova, and Ukraine are already making progress and, he said, have a real opportunity to become the next members of the European Union.

“This raises the question as to whether deliberately halting the European path is not a form of a coup d’etat. This is especially true when we know what needs to be done, when not a single chapter has been opened, even as four EU candidate countries held intergovernmental conferences in a single day – Albania, Montenegro, Moldova, and Ukraine. We saw how Ukraine resolved their issues with Hungary following the change of the Hungarian Government. They had a dispute over minorities, but they overcame it through dialogue and negotiations. It is obvious that we have no alternative. It is also obvious that we are moving nowhere. We are the only country that hasn’t opened a single negotiating chapter, while these four candidate countries are clearly positioned to become the next members of the European Union,” Filipche underscored.

The SDSM leader reiterated his warning that unless the country takes concrete steps, it risks falling further behind the region.

Photo: SDSM