Skopje, 20 May 2026 (MIA) - On the occasion of Europe Day 2026, Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi said the country's European future rests not just with Brussels, but with the personal and social commitment of every citizen.

"The European path that we have chosen rests not just with Brussels. The most important element rests with ourselves. We need to decide to take this path, but not only formally, not only to follow the procedure. We should all ask ourselves today how much do we contribute to advancing our country's progress towards the EU as a value? I would like each of us who have influence in society today to reflect on Europe as a network of value systems and to separate it from the European Union as integration. If everyone would start from themselves, from their workplace, their family, their home and cherish these values, I am convinced that we will achieve what we want," he said. 

He noted that the country made major compromises, but the main European frameworks did not valorize this.

"In 2018, we changed the country's name, today we are called the Republic of North Macedonia. Unfortunately, the main European frameworks failed to valorize this. Today we have countries ahead of us - Montenegro and Albania, while we are still waiting to open the chapters," he pointed out.

In addition, he pointed out that the path to the European Union is the best choice, but the essence of democracy is always to have alternatives and to cultivate values.

"We keep hearing the phrase that we have no other alternative, except Europe, but we must return to the essence of democracy - there is no democracy without an alternative. Being able to say that we have no better alternative than Europe, no matter what we compare this path to, it is unquestionably the best path we should take," said Gashi.

He stressed that unless we take personal responsibility mass youth emigration will continue. 

"My main message concerns young people and emigration. If we fail to do all these things I mentioned, most of those in this hall, who are younger, will not be here in a few years. I am convinced, if we go to the airport now, we will find many young people who have already got their tickets for Berlin... If we do not do something radical now, every one of us, young people will continue to leave," he said.

Mileva Gjurovska, President of the European Movement in the Republic of North Macedonia, highlighted the historical importance of European integration.

"The European Community has enabled more than seven decades of peace and prosperity through cooperation, remaining the most significant and largest peace project that has ever taken place in the history of humanity. The integration of the continent is increasingly seen as crucial for bolstering resilience. Europe is not just geography, but a space that we choose every day as our destination and as a value we want to live with," she said.

Daniel Braun, Official Representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, mentioned common challenges. 

"We know the challenges of starting negotiations, but I would like to address the challenges that Europe faces, not only the war in Ukraine. We then see that we have to work harder and together and stick to the way we want to move forward. It is a challenge when we have so many countries with different interests, but we all share the same goal -to protect ourselves against threats and to improve the lives of citizens in Europe. I am convinced that this country will achieve its goal if we work together," he said.  

Peter Hefele, Policy Director at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, added that the enlargement process must not be seen as a technical process. "It is a question of security, resilience and credibility," he said.

Photo: MIA