Skopje, 22 August 2024 (MIA) - Minister of European Affairs Orhan Murtezani told TV 21 he hopes a solution will be found regarding the constitutional amendments by December, with one of the options being a delayed implementation of the amendments as a guarantee that there won’t be any additional blockades.

“I hope that, perhaps even before this deadline, we could have a potential solution that will finally unblock North Macedonia's Euro-integrations, while at the same time serving as some type of guarantee that our path to the EU won’t be blocked again during negotiations,” Murtezani said.

The Minister said the VLEN coalition remains principled in its request for a potential solution to the issue within the first six months of the Government’s rule. According to him, no one in the Government disputes the need for constitutional amendments, but they are assessing how to protect the process in the future.

Murtezani clarified that constitutional amendments with delayed implementation is one of the options that are being assessed, and it would also have to take into account the already signed protocols with Bulgaria that have become a part of the European Council’s conclusions.

He said he is aware of EU Ambassador David Geer’s statements that the negotiating framework cannot be amended, which is why, he said, modalities that take this into account are being assessed.

“We know this fact, which is why we’ve overcome it as an issue, since it is the position of 27 member states of the EU, not just Bulgaria. We are assessing modalities on how we can find a solution without endangering the negotiating framework, because we’ve also officially had clear messages that this cannot be changed,” Murtezani said. 

Photo: TV 21