
Marta Kos reiterates: Constitutional changes, then progress towards the EU
"North Macedonia needs to show the will to change its Constitution in order to make progress in the EU accession process," reiterated EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Coss in today's debate with members of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET).
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– We hope that Macedonia will fulfill its obligation to change the Constitution and then, I am sure, that once we start moving with North Macedonia, also with the support of Bulgaria, we will be able to continue on that path, Kos said in response to a question from Bulgarian MEP Andrei Kovachev at the debate.
She emphasized the complexity of the enlargement process, emphasizing that 150 decisions by consensus of EU members are needed to start and complete the negotiation process of just one candidate country, but that everything should be done to avoid bilateral issues from affecting the negotiations.
"But it is already happening and will happen in the future, so it is the task of all of us to resolve them when they arise," Kos said, adding that those candidate countries for membership that implement the necessary reforms should also benefit from their efforts.
Kos emphasizes that enlargement today is different than it was five years ago and there is a huge opportunity for things in this process to move forward.
"For the first time in ten years, there is a real prospect that during this mandate (of the EU institutions) we can bring one, two or three countries to the goal," Kos said.
She expressed hope that during the current Polish presidency of the Council of the EU, one or two clusters with Ukraine and Moldova will be opened, as well as that progress will be achieved in negotiations on several chapters and clusters with the Western Balkan countries.
"If the candidate countries stick to the reforms for progress, during the Polish presidency we can see more progress than in the last ten years," Kos emphasized.
The European Commissioner emphasized that despite the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which brought new dynamics to the enlargement, the process still remains based on merit.
"There will be no geopolitical concessions, enlargement remains a merit-based process," Kos stressed, adding that the rule of law and respect for fundamental values are and will remain the cornerstones of enlargement policy.
According to Kos, enlargement is a project of the entire society, not just the parliaments and governments of the candidate countries.
Referring to the ambitions of the Western Balkan countries for EU membership, the European Commissioner for Enlargement announced that she will visit Montenegro this week, and Albania during February.
– We started the mandate by opening one cluster with Albania and closing three chapters with Montenegro… I will go to Montenegro this week to celebrate their achievement and encourage further progress during the Polish presidency, she emphasized.
According to Kos, the goals set by Montenegro and Albania to close all chapters in the negotiation process with the EU by the end of 2026 and 2027, respectively, are "very ambitious", but not unachievable.
As for Serbia, according to Kos, it must meet certain criteria to open negotiations under Cluster 3, emphasizing that the EU is now waiting for Belgrade to deliver on the reforms it has promised.
She also announced an initiative to organize football, basketball and handball matches between teams from candidate countries and EU member states, which would give new impetus to enlargement, beyond negotiations by chapters and clusters and the implementation of reforms.
– We see a world where size and power are used as blackmail and a world in which many would like to see Europe fail and where significant resources are invested to achieve this. The situation in Georgia and the energy blackmail in Moldova are a stark reminder of the challenges we face… The peace, freedom and prosperity of our continent depend on the strength of the unity and greatness of the EU, Kos added.