Is the EU preparing another cold shower for our country?

EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn’s statement in the European Parliament that he would propose “entering preparatory stage for accession negotiations” for our country, despite all the apathy from the efforts for EU integration – echoed like a bomb. Despite the fact that no one has ever received a recommendation for such a stage, which is even difficult to memorize and explain, but it is who know which time for our country to not get what it was promised and announced for decades, mostly because of our fault, but in large part due to the European Union itself. That fact that Brussels will now invent some preparatory stage for accession negotiations after having invented some kind of screening before passing a decision on a date for accession negotiations last June was not something that could not have been predicted, because at each stage in its European integration, our country gets one more stair that never even existed for other countries before. This time it went too far, because it becomes more and more evident that they, due to internal situations and interests in the EU member states, are only looking for excuses to not provide us with date, after we have resolved the name dispute which was their universal excuse.

The date is further complicated because of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini’s efforts for Macedonia to go together with Albania, because Italy has more financial and other interests in that country, which in turn bothers France, which strongly opposes the rewarding of Tirana. President Emmanuel Macron, who vetoed the negotiating proposal last June because he did not want that decision to affect his chances in the European elections, then promised that he only meant to make this decision once and never again. Before this report, however, there is information yet again that France and the Netherlands are opposed to giving Macedonia an accession talks date. Diplomats outside the EU are already mocking the way the European integration of our country has been prolonged, which is starting to resemble a Spanish soap opera without the prospect of ever coming to an end.

Yesterday, there was further clarification from Brussels that the European Commission would still propose a start of accession negotiations in the progress report, but given the resistance of some countries, this should be accepted, and in order not to remain empty-handed, Hahn offers a reserve option – entering the preparatory stage for accession negotiations. An EU representative yesterday for Nezavisen Vesnik/Independent daily newspaper said the EC was already preparing the report for our country and that “the EC will present proposals for the negotiating framework for North Macedonia and Albania only if it is called upon to do so by the Council.”

“The General Affairs Council last June adopted the conclusions that set the stage for the opening of negotiations for the accession of North Macedonia and Albania in June 2019. The commission launched the necessary preparatory work in September, as stated in the Council Conclusions. The Commission supports and will continue to support the two countries in order to achieve further tangible and sustainable results, in particular on judicial reforms and the fight against corruption and organized crime, sectors that have a major impact on the citizens of both countries,” was the message from the EU representative.
Yesterday, Hahn in the EP said that our country not only delivered reforms, it is also the only country in the region that has no open disputes with its neighbors, so giving a date for accession negotiations is a matter of EU credibility.

“We want to start the initial process to accession negotiations, everybody gets nervous about this idea, but the fundamental decision will only mean we can start with preparatory work to open the first chapter, and there again has to be unanimous decision supported by of all member-states on what the opening benchmarks are, i.e. the criteria on opening negotiations before negotiations even start. But this is a clear signal to our partners that if they delivered, then we should deliver, it is a question of reliability for the EU, confidence and political leverage in the region,” said Hahn yesterday in the EP. Asked by MIA if there are any changes in EC’s position over Skopje and his expectations for the June Council summit, Hahn refrained from speculations.

“I want to be crystal clear that what we are trying to achieve is an agreement to start the preparatory work for the negotiations. This is an issue of credibility and responsibility, to start the process which next step will be the opening of the chapters,” said Hahn.
Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani again expected to get a decision to start the accession negotiations, ie confirmation of a date that will give the EC mandate to prepare a negotiating framework so that an intergovernmental conference will be held between our country and the member states at the end of the year. According to Osmani, what actually Hahn wanted to say was that we will not open the first chapter in June if the decision to negotiate is reached, but only after the intergovernmental conference in January. However, he could not confirm that we would certainly get a date for negotiations. Minister Radmila Sekerinska yesterday insisted that Hahn’s message was not taken the right way, and that it was not a matter of delaying or rejecting accession negotiations. Past experiences with the decisions of the European Council do not favor optimism.

(SJ)