Skopje, 9 May 2025 (MIA) - The visit of EU Council President Antonio Costa to Skopje next week is another strong sign of the priorities of the European Union. The fact that he is visiting the Western Balkans, that he is coming to Skopje, is a proof that we are open for enlargement, says Polish Ambassador Mariusz Brymora in an interview with MIA.

"From my own perspective, I can also mention that our Prime Minister Donald Tusk will be visiting Skopje in the next few months, and this is another sign that we care for North Macedonia, that we support North Macedonia, that the Presidency, the EU Council are in favor of North Macedonia's opening of the negotiating process. A strong sign that we'll wait for a response from the Macedonian side," says Ambassador Brymora, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency.

He highlights the need for political will and completion of reforms in North Macedonia, in order to sustain the EU membership enthusiasm.

"We need political will, we need reforms to be completed in North Macedonia, and we, the politicians, need to make sure that we do not lose the support of the Macedonian society, as we already learned from opinion polls that the support is going down, because the society is becoming tired of waiting. So, we need to be very careful not to lose the support of the society. Luckily, if we are to believe the latest opinion polls, which were released just a few weeks ago, I believe it was at the level or slightly over 60 percent, and we need to use that enthusiasm," says Brymora.

He adds that the European Commission, Brussels, the Presidency are all ready for enlargement.

"The doors are open. This is a very favorable momentum for the candidate-countries. The trouble with the world today, the instability and unpredictability, is that such momentum may not last forever. So the task for the Government of North Macedonia is to use the momentum as long as it lasts," notes the Polish Ambassador.

The full interview with the Polish Ambassador will be published on Sunday.

Photo: MIA