Skopje, 1 March 2023 (MIA) – It is clear to us that there is disappointment in North Macedonia due to how long the Euro-integration process is taking, but the country’s perspective to join the EU is a credible and achievable process, said EU Ambassador David Geer on Wednesday in his address at the Skopje Economic Forum, organized by the Delphi Economic Forum and the Hellenic Business Association in Skopje.

 “The EU and its commitment to the enlargement process especially concerning this country is not out of mercy, but it’s a mutual interest and it’s clear that North Macedonia’s EU membership is in the interest of our security, prosperity and democratic interest. The negotiations and the screening process have already begun, so now the focus should be moved to the implementation of the necessary reforms. You have already made great progress in the reform process. You have significant support from the EU member states, and those outside of the EU as well, so the perspective of this country joining the EU is a credible, achievable and realistic process,” said EU Ambassador Geer at the second panel titled “A Follow up of the Tirana Summit: The Accession of the Balkans in the European Union”.

Touching upon the influence of the messages from the EU – Western Balkans Summit in Tirana on the future of the region, Geer said that the forum sent a very strong political signal that demonstrated the common position of the EU leaders and the Western Balkan partners, that the accession process is of mutual interest, and the need to accelerate the process was also recognized.

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The EU Ambassador reminded that during the discussions at the summit in Tirana, which was the first summit organized in the region and was held in the backdrop of the Russian aggression on Ukraine, the enlargement principle was reaffirmed, i.e., that the process should depend on reforms and merit.

 “This means that the countries set to join the EU will be able to enjoy their membership, but they will also have to build resistance so that they can compete with a dynamic, competitive environment, i.e., the consumer market,” said the EU Ambassador.

The summit in Tirana, according to Geer, indicated the importance of mutual cooperation as a way to tackle the challenges on the accession path, and stressed the support that EU provides to the Western Balkans in terms of economy, especially while the war in Ukraine is ongoing.

 “In the context of the Tirana summit, the common market was mentioned as well, which will provide greater freedom based on the principle of the single market, and which will enable an integration of the regional market and the European market, since both rely on the same principles. A participation of 6.9 percent from the EU in the Western Balkan market was planned, I think that this is already being felt, so from this year onwards we will focus on the construction of the green corridors which lead to a faster accession process,” said EU Ambassador Geer.

The Forum was opened by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, while several other politicians are expected to participate in the forum, including the prime ministers of Kosovo and Montenegro, Albin Kurti and Dritan Abazović. ad/nn/

Photo: MIA archive