Skopje, 28 January 2026 (MIA) - The door of the European Union is wide open, there is full support for North Macedonia to join the Union and I believe this is the moment for the country to unify - Government, opposition, Parliament, civil society, businesses and youth - and be pragmatic in order to speed up reforms, said EU Ambassador Michalis Rokas on Wednesday.

Ambassador Rokas told the promotion of "Analysis of Public Opinion on North Macedonia’s Accession to the European Union (2014-2025)” created by the Institute for Democracy "Societas Civilis" - Skopje (IDSCS) in Parliament that although the survey shows an outside factor as the obstacle for the Union accession, internal unity would overcome other barriers.

"I guarantee you that if this happens, the accession obstacles will be overcome. This is an opportunity that should not be missed and must be acted upon immediately. The past and the present year cannot be compared to the situation from 5-6 years ago," said Rokas and added the issue now is how to build partnerships and trust.

He expressed satisfaction from the survey results that show the EU as the most trusted partner.

"I hope the efforts we will jointly invest this year will improve results in the next survey but also with regard to the pragmatic aspect of the country's EU path," said Rokas.

Comparing the research from last year with the current one, the EU Ambassador said the percentage of the population in favor of Union accession has increased by ten percent, from 61 to 71 percent.

"Youth support is increasing, young people are showing this is the future. All ethnic communities and parties are in favor of EU accession. We also see that citizens reflect the priorities of the Growth Plan and the Reform Agenda, namely environment protection, judiciary reforms and fight against orruption," said Rokas.

German Ambassador Petra Drexler said it is necessary to see the perception of the population regarding the EU accession process.

"Besides the complexity of the EU accession process, it is necessary to have good data collected throughout a longer period, based on a consistent, coherent, methodological framework, in order to see how perceptions within a certain population develop," said Ambassador Drexler.

Referring to geopolitical developments and discussions at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, the German Ambassador said they showed that the world is undergoing a tectonic change that has deep implications on security, peace, and Europe's future.

"Our strength lies in security, in Europe's competitiveness and our unity. This includes not only member-states but also those that we consider our close allies, not only because they are important trading partners but also because we have shared a common path over the past decades of bringing this country and region into the European Union," said Drexler.

Our unity as Europeans, she added, is seen in the study and this is rather encouraging.

"The most important aspect is that the shrinking of the trust among the population has stopped. The credibility of the accession process has increased and the EU has invested a lot in this, through the Growth Plan and the Reform Agenda," noted Drexler.

Photo: MIA