Skopje, 18 July 2023 (MIA) – Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi, alongside Parliament’s vice-presidents, party whips of SDSM’s coalition, VMRO-DPMNE’s coalition, DUI, Alliance for Albanians, and representatives of the political parties Alternativa and BESA, met Tuesday with France's Minister of State for Europe Laurence Boone, Minister of State for Europe and Climate in Germany's Federal Foreign Office Anna Lührmann, and Poland’s Minister for the European Union Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk.

According to a press release from Parliament, Speaker Xhaferi welcomed the visit of the three ministers and reiterated the country’s commitment to the fulfillment of its strategic goal of EU membership.

“The ministers were informed over the ongoing activities in Parliament in the context of this goal, especially concerning the full alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, and the ongoing screening process. In terms of the constitutional amendments process, which is the only prerequisite for the opening of the negotiating chapters, it was stated that currently Parliament does not have the necessary majority for their implementation,” said the press release.

Minister Boone, according to the press release, voiced the support of the EU over the enlargement process and the interest in promoting the Euro-integration path of the countries of the entire region, which will contribute to greater stability and security on the European continent.

“The changed reality and the window of opportunity that have been created, should be fully utilized, since European elections will be held next year, and they will result in a certain holdup if some processes aren’t completed by the end of 2023,” said Minister Boone.

Minister Szynkowski spoke about the history of the three countries, the disagreements and challenges they have faced in the past, but also about their support for the enlargement process. He underscored the four priorities of the future Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which includes the enlargement process with concrete activities.

Minister Lührmann stressed that partisan interests should not be placed higher than the country’s strategic interests at this moment, reiterating that the negotiating framework, which has been adopted by all EU member states, will not be changed, and it represents a basis for North Macedonia’s negotiations process. She also noted that there are no new demands and prerequisites for the opening of the negotiating chapters, apart from the adoption of the constitutional amendments. At the end, the German Minister stressed the Resolution adopted by the German Bundestag in support of North Macedonia’s national interests.

“The participants at the meeting expressed different opinions regarding the adoption of the constitutional amendments, with predominant agreement over their adoption, except for the parliamentary group of VMRO-DPMNE’s coalition. Furthermore, greater support and guarantees over the negotiations process were requested from the European partners, with the aim of preventing further demands from the Republic of Bulgaria,” said Parliament in a press release.

Photo: Parliament