Strasbourg, 9 July 2025 (MIA) -- At the debate on MEP Thomas Waitz's report on North Macedonia's progress on the EU path the European Parliament held Tuesday, MEP Afroditi Latinopoulou from the Greek far-right ultranationalist party Foní Loyikís claimed she was "a proud Macedonian, a real one," and not "a fake one like the residents of Skopje." Her opinion was dismissed by Slovenian MEP Irena Joveva from Renew Europe saying that "Macedonian identity will not disappear because of your lobbying or just because of one vote."

Joveva pointed out that Waitz's report was about a country that had been humiliated despite being "better than some member states." She also said she would vote against the deletion of the wording Macedonian language and identity.

Bulgarian MEPs were those against the wording. Their opinions were shared by Latinopoulou, who also said she was against the country's accession to the EU.

In contrast, her compatriot Konstantinos Arvanitis from the Greek Coalition of the Radical Left said the country's accession depended solely on the Prespa Agreement and not on "linguistic games and opportunistic attempts to undermine what is an international agreement."

"Accession for those with an European perspective depends on meeting the Copenhagen criteria without double standards or hidden agendas," Arvanitis said.

He voiced his support for the country's accession to the EU as well as his hope that the European Commission would "show the same zeal toward the Western Balkans as it shows toward Eastern Europe."

Much like him, most MEPs -- including Matej Tonin, Thijs Reuten, Dan Barna, Andreas Schieder, Șerban-Dimitrie Sturdza and Željana Zovko -- at Tuesday evening's debate were in favor of the EU membership aspirations of the country and welcomed Waitz's report on its progress in 2023 and 2024. mr/