Skopje, 15 January 2025 (MIA) - This year we sadly mark a very unfortunate jubilee – 20 years since we received our EU candidate status. It is high time that we continued our European path. It is time for the Union to adopt a strategic decision on how it will act in relation to our example as a litmus test for the credibility of the European story in the region and beyond, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski said Wednesday at a working lunch with the ambassadors of the EU member states in the country.

“We are all fully aware of the complex geopolitical challenges that Europe and the world face. At a time of uncertainties, the European integration of the Western Balkans represents a geostrategic necessity that will contribute to strengthening peace, stability and security of the continent. We will continue our role as a constructive partner and an example in the region, committed to building good neighborly relations and regional cooperation. I assure you that the Government will be even more focused on the implementation of reforms in key areas such as the rule of law and the judiciary, a committed and non-selective fight against corruption, especially high-profile corruption, the promotion of the efficiency of the institutions, public administration reform, and of course, boosting the country’s economic capacities,” Mucunski said. 

The Minister stressed that this commitment would continue in relation to the reform agenda and the realization of the goals of the Growth Plan. He underlined that the EU accession process should remain “credible, merit-based” and ensure predictability.  

“This year we sadly mark a very unfortunate jubilee – 20 years since we received our EU candidate status. A full twenty decades during which we made a series of significant decisions, as well as painful compromises in the name of realizing our generational aspiration for EU membership. It is high time to continue down the European path. We are ready for dialogue with goodwill and finding rational solutions. It is time for the Union to adopt a strategic decision on how it will act in relation to our example as a litmus test for the credibility of the European story in the region and beyond. The way forward does not lead through constant bilateralizations of the accession process and conditions that have little in common with the heart of the European idea and its values. On the contrary, we need geopolitical responsibility and decisions that unite instead of ones that divide, decisions that will build bridges firmly founded on everything that we share and everything that brings us together,” Mucunski said. 

The Foreign Minister said he expects accession talks to finally begin and the country to start opening negotiation chapters in 2025.

“I hope and expect that in 2025 we will make significant steps towards further convergence with the European standards and a beginning of the process of negotiations by opening the first negotiating chapters. Together with you, through regular dialogue and partnership, I am convinced that we can fulfill these ambitious goals,” Mucunski said, voicing expectations for successful cooperation in 2025.

The Ambassador of the European Union in the country, Michalis Rokas, said he is optimistic about 2025 and underlined the importance of the adopted reform agenda. 

“When we invest efforts in delivering results, we prove that everything is possible. I hope that this year won’t be just ribbon-cutting ceremonies but also progress in the accession process. We have an excellent platform that we can work with. The reform agenda is an excellent document, but it also includes important squares that need to be ticked off in 2025. There are many of them, and my team from the EU Delegation will assist you, the Prime Minister, and the Ministry of European Affairs in promoting this important agenda,” Rokas said.

The Ambassador also spoke about the new EU leadership, noting that it has reinvigorated the enlargement process and placed it in the focus of the EU’s agenda. He said the new Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, would visit the country in the first semester of 2025. 

“There is a lot of understanding in Brussels and a lot of shared willingness to move the process forward. The rule of law is an area of key importance. The judiciary, the rule of law and the fight against corruption are an area that will enable North Macedonia to make a great step forward, because it will restore trust. This is something that is really necessary and we will work side by side with you and the Minister of Justice,” Rokas said. 

Photo: MIA