Tirana, 21 November 2025 (MIA) - I no longer see any point if bilateral problems and bilateral disputes are the ones deciding whether countries should become full members of the European Union. For me, the point I see is in the delivery, the reforms, the steps that are fulfilled. And as long as it is based on the system of delivery, then absolutely we as a country will be competitive, and I am convinced that we will be the ones to reach the final goal first, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told journalists Friday in Tirana.

“We have been in this process long enough – more than 25 years, 20 years since we became a candidate country – and really, what we have experienced along the way I would not wish upon anyone else. But it is obvious that once you establish an exception to a rule, it becomes a rule, and later other member states can call upon that exception which was previously established, and it grows into a rule. So, I really no longer see any point if bilateral problems and bilateral disputes are the ones deciding whether countries should become full members of the EU. For me, the point I see is in the delivery, the reforms, the steps that are fulfilled. And as long as it is based on the system of delivery, then absolutely we as a country will be competitive, and I am convinced that we will be the ones to reach the final goal first,” Mickoski, who participated Friday in a regional leaders’ summit on the Growth Plan in Tirana.

Asked if there has been a softening in the positions of the EU, the Prime Minister said it depends on the area, noting that he is more focused on the steps that are a part of the Growth Plan.

“I am referring to those steps that remained in that grace period and weren’t previously delivered due to the pause for the local elections. Immediately after the local elections we got to work and by the end of the year I expect at least eight, maybe even 10 of the 12 unfulfilled steps to be realized,” Mickoski said.

The Prime Minister said two “problematic” steps remain – concerning the government’s electricity subsidies and the Electoral Code.

“The first step is about the electricity subsidies that the government enables to the citizens through its mechanisms, because we believe if this does not happen, then the citizens’ electricity bills will go up by at least 34, 40 percent. And we said we can’t fulfil that step, and we won’t fulfil it at this moment. The second is the adaptation of the Electoral Code. You know what kind of political gymnastics is happening in Parliament and this is one of the laws in which the MPs can filibuster. So, everything else, the remaining 10, are a reality for us, and I believe we will be able to deliver this by the end of the year or the first two weeks of next year,” Prime Minister Mickoski said.

Photo: Government