Skopje, 16 October 2025 (MIA) - President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, who met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, said the visit was encouraging and stimulating for the region's European integration. 

According to President Siljanovska Davkova's Office, Ursula von der Leyen has expressed the EU's open interest in the Western Balkans, due to the region's natural European affiliation in a geographical, historical and cultural sense, as well as due to the tectonic changes in the international order and the increasing global and European security threats.

The Macedonian President reaffirmed the country’s commitment to fulfilling the strategic goal of full-fledged EU membership. She compared the Baltics and the Balkans, pointing out an obvious difference: in the case of the former, the EU member states stood behind their neighbours, while in the case of the latter, some EU members use their privileged status to condition and even block the neighbour’s political path to Brussels. 

She once again pointed to the enormous importance for the region of: SEPA, Western Balkan Roaming, "Vezilka: National AI Factory", "Horizon Europe", as well as the great expectations from the infrastructure projects: "Corridor VIII" and "Corridor X". 

“Gordana Siljanovska Davkova warned of the danger of replicating the precedent of the bilateralization of the Macedonian integration process, outside the Copenhagen criteria, not only within the regional framework, but beyond. In addition, she mentioned the disrespect, i.e. the violation of some fundamental principles and values of the basic constitutive acts of the EU that guarantee the national and cultural identity of states and nations, as well as the dignity and integrity of citizens. She also expressed readiness for Macedonian-Bulgarian talks after the local elections,” reads the press release from Siljanovska Davkova’s Office. 

The Macedonian President expects help from the Union, the press release adds, in finding a creative solution to unblock Macedonian integration, noting that the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU is not only a matter of enlargement, but also affects the security and stability of Europe. The initiative to reform the decision-making process in the EU, which would also include issues related to the enlargement of the Union, i.e. moving towards qualified majority voting, would be a brave decision according to Siljanovska Davkova, which would lead to a step forward in European integration.

According to her, the country must direct its energy towards judicial reforms and the uncompromising fight against corruption and crime.

“President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the clear will of all 27 EU member states for accelerated reintegration of the Balkans and welcomed the significant progress achieved within the Growth Plan, noting that the country deserves to move forward,” the press release reads.  

Photo: Siljanovska Davkova's Office