Skopje, 26 July 2022 (MIA) – It is good news that the European Union launched the membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania last week. This is excellent news, a milestone for these countries but also for the EU. The screening process was launched on the same day, which means that the countdown to North Macedonia’s EU membership has begun, says EU Ambassador David Geer. “You have absolutely started the negotiations with the European Union and this is good news,” Ambassador Geer told TV Kanal 5. On the differences in the documents for North Macedonia and Albania, he says it is relatively normal to have them to a certain degree in the accession process. “In this case, it is down to the following: we had the intergovernmental conference last week that launched the process and the screening as well. At the end of this process, North Macedonia will hold the second IGC but for it to take place, North Macedonia should fulfill its task to change the Constitution in order to include citizens identifying themselves as Bulgarians,” explains Geer. However, he adds, since this condition is in the hands of North Macedonia, it should not result in delays or be an obstacle to the process, since there is no country that could prevent the second IGC. The EU Ambassador says the screening process is comprised of two stages, the first being the explanatory screening, in which the European Commission, together with North Macedonia and Albania, reviews the entire process, “where both countries are quite advanced due to the preparatory work that has taken place over the years.” Then comes, he adds, the bilateral screening, a very structured and intensive dialogue that could last for 14-16 months, during which the EC looks at the norms and legislation in both countries, identifying gaps and paths to progress. He says the most probable scenario will be a standstill of the process if the Constitution is not changed. “The constitutional revision is a sovereign decision of the country. The country already has a good report on interethnic relations and if the change is made, it will further strengthen the progress made in this field. If the change does not happen, the most probable scenario would be a standstill in the process. In other words, the screening will continue up to a certain point and then stop and wait for the country,” says Geer. The EU Ambassador says that becoming a member of the EU depends on the speed of reforms. “I am very confident. Negotiations have started, the country has a reason to be optimistic and confident in its identity and its European perspective. I believe the process is moving forward with a positive dynamics, but there is a lot of work ahead and many reforms before the country becomes a full-fledged member of the EU,” underlines Geer.