Skopje, 5 November 2025 (MIA) — The European Commission's latest Progress Report on Macedonia was the worst in a decade, SDSM president Venko Filipche told a news conference Wednesday.

"The released Progress Report saying Macedonia has not made any progress on the European path sent us a clear message about where the country is headed under the rule of VMRO-DPMNE in the past year and a half," Filipche said. 

"This report is practically the worst report we have received in the past ten years and seriously sets off an alarm about the country's future prospects," he said.

He said the EC's report confirmed the country's stagnation in the EU accession process and stressed that urgent steps were needed to put the state back on the European track.

"What is happening is what we warned about," the SDSM leader said. "VMRO-DPMNE has managed, in a year and a half, to group us together with Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova and Ukraine — countries that were the last to start the European integration process," he said.

According to him, not only has the country failed to make the constitutional changes required to join the EU but it also has failed to make any progress in the EU reform agenda.

He also said the national budget did not provide enough money for implementing the EU's Growth Plan.

Filipche said the EC's Progress Report confirmed that the country was at "a complete standstill" and pointed out that the economy was stagnant, the education system was a debacle and the institutions were paralyzed.

He added that the EC had noted progress in four areas only, "and those are minor and are not related to real internal reforms." 

"There was no improvement in eight areas, including the most critical ones — the judiciary and fundamental rights," he said, adding that "the government has gotten an F in Chapter 24: Justice, Freedom and Security, which is a drastic fall compared to last year."

Filipche also spoke about his party's red lines proposal aimed at encouraging further talks between political parties toward reaching a consensus regarding EU membership.

Asked if they would vote for constitutional amendments with delayed enforcement, Filipche said they would. "If that is acceptable to the EU, we will absolutely support it," he said.

However, he noted, this needed to lead to the opening of the chapters of the EU acquis so accession negotiations could proceed.

"If we do not open them, why should we make any constitutional amendments? So this is something we need to talk about again," Filipche said. mr/