Macedonia should be in the renewed waiting room for the EU?

EU people in front of the EU building in Skopje / Photo: "Free Press" - Dragan Mitreski

Macedonia should not ignore the idea of ​​French President Macron to form a "European Geopolitical Community", which is a complement, not an alternative to the EU accession process, according to domestic experts.

While the entire international community is supporting the leaders and authorities in both Sofia and Skopje to find a solution that will lift Bulgaria's veto by June and allow Macedonia to negotiate with the EU, Brussels prepares ground for formation "European Geopolitical Community"For the countries of the Western Balkans and the Eastern European partners of the EU, including Ukraine, to become candidates for the EU this summer.

The idea was given by the French president Emmanuel Macron, and specified the President of the European Council Charles Michel, who stressed that the community will strive to "approach and strengthen cooperation to address the common challenges of countries on the road to the EU."

This idea and initiative for Macedonia, in moments when the country is stuck on its European integration path due to the Bulgarian veto, domestic experts believe that the situation should not be ignored. The assessment is that regional interstate cooperation in any form in conditions of global energy crisis, conflict in Ukraine, but also intensified eastern geopolitical "currents" in the Balkans, should not be rejected.

University professor Ana Cupeska in a statement for "Free Press" clarifies that any form of cooperation when it comes to the European future of the country should be accepted.

University professor Ana Cupeska

- We should not "an-block" reject that offer from Brussels, by not having to give up our full membership in the EU. I think that this type of collaboration will only further accelerate the gravitational impulse of liberalism, which will practically push us into this geopolitical alliance of Brussels. I repeat, this is not a counterpart to failure, but on the contrary, this is a solution to repair the consequences of the blockade of Sofia on us - says Cupeska.

For the former ambassador and diplomat Risto Nikovski, Macron's statement, with which Scholz agreed on the new form - European political community, is obviously the solution that will be used for all countries that are interested and that are on their way to Brussels.

Risto Nikovski / Photo: Free Press Archive

- This is something that Macedonia can neither reject nor will depend on it. The idea is still evolving and many things and details are not yet known, but there should be no doubt that this will absolutely apply to all other Balkan countries. If Macedonia's choice is to be outside such a formula and wait for some membership in the Union that is not in sight, and will last at least 20 years, logic says that without thinking we should agree with that temporary or transitional form and continue with the reforms that are crucial and are our basic obligation - Nikovski is categorical.

The Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski and the leader of the opposition Hristijan Mickoski have already spoken out for Macron's initiative.

The plan of Macron and Michelle, the prime minister Kovacevski considers it only for thinking, which he spoke by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron. However, if the scenario is realized, he does not believe that it will negatively affect the EU enlargement process.

- These are thoughts and concepts that have not yet been presented to the European Council. The new geopolitical situation in the world and in Europe, especially given the war in Ukraine, certainly requires the EU as the largest community of countries in Europe to think about its further development. However, in the EU there is an enlargement process of which we are a part, made according to the new methodology of clusters and opening of chapters, which should not and I believe will not be affected - said Kovacevski.

The leader of VMRO-DPMNE he sees the initiative as a plan by Brussels to create a European "second league" of alliances.

- Macedonia should be in the top five, not in the second league. Historically, and more recently, Macedonia has done more for European values ​​than any other. At first we were stopped by our southern neighbor and here we stumbled into a place for decades, and now we have an even stupider request from our eastern neighbor. It is time for Europe to fulfill its promises - said the opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski.

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