Brussels, 13 December 2023 (MIA) - The Council of the European Union stands ready to convene another intergovernmental conference with North Macedonia, without further delays nor additional political decision, as soon as the country has implemented its commitment to complete the constitutional changes as referred to in the Council Conclusions of July 2022, in line with its internal procedures, read the conclusions on Enlargement adopted at the General Affairs Council (GAC) on Tuesday, which will be forwarded to the Union’s leaders for their two-day summit that begins on Thursday.  

 

“The Council calls on North Macedonia to accelerate the completion of these changes. Thereafter, the Council stands ready to open the first negotiating cluster as soon as possible, in line with the Negotiating Framework,” the conclusions uphold. 

 

Recalling the Council conclusions of July 2022, the Council welcomes the first intergovernmental conference held with North Macedonia in July 2022 and the successful completion of the screening meetings, MIA’s Brussels correspondent reports.  

 

“The Council encourages all parties in parliament to focus on advancing EU related reforms and the EU accession process,” reads the document. 

 

The Council welcomes the level of preparation of North Macedonia in key areas and underlines the importance of accelerating EU-oriented reforms and further consolidating implementation, notably in the areas of the fundamentals and the rule of law.  

 

“North Macedonia needs to deliver on the independence, professionalism and impartiality of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and organised crime, and the reform of the public administration. The Council expresses serious concerns about some changes to the Criminal Code, affecting a large number of high-level corruption cases, as well as about undue external influence on the work of the Judicial Council and the judiciary,” the conclusions add. 

 

 

The Council also calls on North Macedonia to continue its efforts to further strengthen fundamental rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities or communities, media freedom and freedom of expression. 

 

The document also mentions the need for the completion of the review and the implementation of the reformed electoral legislation aligned with the recommendations from OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission in an inclusive and timely manner. 

 

“On the economic criteria, the Council welcomes the progress made, notably in the area of fiscal sustainability, and encourages North Macedonia to continue efforts to further meet the requirements of the EU’s internal market and to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union,” the document points out. 

 

The conclusions further note that good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation remain essential elements of the enlargement process, as well as of the Stabilisation and Association Process. In addition, the Council recalls the importance of achieving tangible results and implementing in good faith bilateral agreements, including the Prespa agreement with Greece and the Treaty on Friendship, Good-neighbourliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria. 

 

“The Council strongly commends North Macedonia for its consistent cooperation on foreign policy issues and in particular its full alignment with the EU CFSP, including on EU restrictive measures – a strong expression of North Macedonia’s strategic commitment to its EU path. The Council welcomes North Macedonia’s continued active participation in EU missions and operations under the EU CSDP. The Council also commends North Macedonia for its active role in a complex geopolitical context during its term as chair of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),” note the Council conclusions on North Macedonia. 

 

In the document, the Council reaffirms its commitment to enlargement in line with the renewed consensus on enlargement. In line with previous Council conclusions, and in the framework of the Copenhagen political criteria, the Council reaffirms the need for fair and rigorous conditionality, the principle of own merits and reversibility. The Council stresses the importance of ensuring that the EU can maintain and deepen its own development, including its capacity to integrate new members.  

  

 

“The Council continues to expect partners to take ownership and demonstrate the credibility of their commitments and political will through the implementation of necessary reforms and tangible progress on the fundamentals,” read the conclusions.

 

The document points out that Enlargement is a geo-strategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity, and a driver for improving the economic and social conditions of European citizens, reducing disparities between countries, and must foster the values on which the Union is founded. 

 

“Looking ahead to the prospect of a further enlarged Union, both the EU and future Member States need to be ready. Aspiring members need to step up their reform efforts, notably in the area of rule of law, in line with the merit-based nature of the accession process and with the assistance of the EU. In parallel, the Union needs to lay the necessary internal groundwork and reforms. We will set our long-term ambitions and the ways to achieve them. We will address key questions related to our priorities and policies as well as our capacity to act. This will make the EU stronger and will enhance European sovereignty,” adds the document. 

 

The conclusions further note that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shows that enlargement is also a strategic priority, and the Council confirms its full and unequivocal commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. As regards to Türkiye, the conclusions note that it remains a candidate country and a key partner in many areas of joint interest.  

 

“Respecting and committing to promoting the values on which the EU is founded, and meeting the obligations required for EU membership, are essential for all partners who aspire to join. The Council reiterates that the rule of law is a fundamental value on which the EU is founded, and remains an indispensable requisite for progress towards EU membership. Sustained and irreversible reform achievements on the rule of law and fundamental rights, the functioning of democratic institutions, including de-polarisation, public administration and economic criteria remain the key benchmarks against which progress towards EU membership is assessed,” the conclusions read. 

 

Also, the Council reiterates the importance of upholding the rights of the child and the rights and non-discriminatory treatment of persons belonging to minorities and persons in vulnerable situations, such as the Roma, persons with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons, and persons belonging to national minorities.

 

“The Council also underlines the need for partners to progress on comprehensive justice reform, the fight against corruption, including de-oligarchisation, and the fight against organised crime. The Council recalls that a solid track record on final convictions and seizure and confiscation of criminal assets continue to be required in the fight against organised crime,” the document points out. 

 

The conclusions call for decisive efforts to foster reconciliation and regional stability, including by solving partners’ bilateral disputes and issues rooted in the legacy of the past, in line with international law and established principles, including the Agreement on Succession Issues. The Council strongly underlines the crucial importance of further deepening the cooperation on foreign policy issues and the Union’s expectations on partners to fully align with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including restrictive measures, a key aspect of the EU integration process and a strong expression of a partner’s strategic choice and place in a community of values. 

 

“The EU continues to stand by partners and provide assistance, in particular to those fully aligned, including to enhance their resilience to hybrid threats. Preventing the circumvention of EU restrictive measures, including those adopted in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, remains of paramount importance,” the document points out. 

 

The Council welcomes the successful cooperation with partners in the areas of countering hybrid threats, as well as on combatting terrorism, radicalisation and organised crime and remains committed to further deepening cooperation in these areas. Countering information manipulation activities, including disinformation, remains an important priority. The Council recalls that the European Union will intensify its work with partners to counter false Russian narratives and disinformation about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. 

 

Irregular migration continues to be a key challenge, and requires continued cooperation and coordination with all partners. The Council commends the Western Balkans partners for their constructive cooperation and Türkiye for its continued efforts in hosting one of the world’s largest refugee population. The Council also underlines the crucial importance of partners harmonising their visa policies with the EU.

 

“The EU will continue to strengthen and intensify its support at all levels to the future EU members’ political, economic and social transformation, based on tangible progress on rule of law and socio-economic reforms, as well as on partners’ adherence to EU values, rules and standards,” the conclusions note.

 

 

The document adds that the EU will continue its substantial financial and technical assistance to partners, in particular through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI-Global Europe), as well as through Twinning and TAIEX. Under the principles of conditionality and policy first, this financial assistance is aimed at helping partners adopt reforms and achieving full alignment with the EU acquis.

 

“The Council remains committed to bringing partners closer to the EU, preparing the ground for accession, and bringing concrete benefits to their citizens already during the enlargement process. To this end, the Council encourages exploring additional measures aimed at further implementing gradual integration in a merit-based and reversible manner, in line with the European Council of June 2022,” the conclusions read. 

 

In this context, the Council takes note of the Commission’s Communication on a New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans which aims to accelerate the socio-economic convergence between the Western Balkans and the EU, based on strict conditionalities, and to encourage the region to step up the pace of EU related reforms on fundamentals in support of their EU path.  

 

“Its proposed implementation is expected to be linked with, inter alia, progress on acquis, regional cooperation and constructive engagement from Serbia and Kosovo in the EU-facilitated dialogue. The Eastern Partnership regional policy will also continue to support Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia on their EU paths,” reads the document. 

 

European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi told a press conference after Tuesday’s GAC session that the conclusions are fundamental to the progress of the enlargement policy and they reaffirm the progress of 10 membership candidates and send a clear message over the commitment to EU enlargement with countries of the Western Balkans, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.  

  

 

“This is a year of momentum in the EU enlargement policy and I am pleased that we have not only managed to provide proposals to the Council but also made decisions,” said Commissioner Varhelyi while adding that the final decision on the enlargement process would be taken at the EU Summit on Thursday and Friday.   

 

“We will see what strategic decision Council leaders take and hope they will reaffirm the clear membership perspective of the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, based on the Commission's recommendations,” added Varhelyi.

 

Photo: MIA archive