North Macedonia's only path to the EU is the path of reforms. This means comprehensive reforms as outlined in the EC report and the screening process report. The Commission's report is fair, honest and provides an objective assessment.
This was stated by the Ambassador of the European Union to North Macedonia, David Geer, at a joint press conference with the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Bojan Maricic, on the occasion of the publication of the European Commission's report on the country's progress on November 8.
"If you want to enjoy the benefits of EU membership, you have to be resilient and ready enough. And we, as the EU, have to make sure that you come as a partner that is firm and sustainable. That is why we are investing a lot in reforms and we continue to do so. Reforms are absolutely necessary," Geer said.
"As for the accession process itself, in terms of constitutional changes, it is clear, the agreement is that we have already started the accession negotiations, the screening is going well, the request for road maps has been submitted. The next step is to go to the negotiations to the first cluster, and that depends on changing the Constitution. These are two important elements in the long term, and the reforms are of course extremely important and in the interest of the citizens, Geer emphasized.
"The continuation of the European path is not tied specifically to this report, but to the changes in the constitution," Maricic said for his part. "We must and include the shortcomings of this report and our tasks during the negotiations. Whether we move to the next stage depends only on whether we make the constitutional changes," Maricic added.
BGNES recalls that the EC report states that the work of the RSM parliament was marred by political polarization, "which deepened even further, delaying the adoption of many reform laws and important appointments".
"The continued polarization between the ruling parties and the opposition prevented the Parliament from functioning properly. The main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE actively blocked the parliamentary work, which represented a significant obstacle to the progress of the legislative activity of the Parliament and the legislative program," the report also states. /BGNES
