North Macedonia must change its constitution to continue on the European path. Renegotiating the Negotiating Framework is not realistic.
This was stated by Slovenian Martha Kos, who today (7 November) was confirmed as the new enlargement commissioner by the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
"What has been accepted must be implemented. This is a prerequisite and we will work with North Macedonia. I expect North Macedonia to change the constitution as soon as possible. Nothing more and nothing less", Marta Kos said during the hearing and called on Skopje to implement the Neighbourhood Treaty with Bulgaria.
"Compliance with bilateral agreements is good for both countries and for the whole EU," Kos stressed.
BGNES recalls that the Commission's annual report on North Macedonia on the issue of enlargement explicitly states that the government of Hristijan Mickoski must respect the treaties with Bulgaria and Greece - the Treaty of Friendship and Neighbourhood (1 August 2017 with Bulgaria) and the Prespa Agreement (June 2018 with Greece).
Albania has already started formal negotiations for membership in the bloc after being separated from North Macedonia. The two countries were supposed to open the first negotiating cluster together, but this did not happen due to the refusal of the regime of Hristijan Mickoski to fulfil its obligations under the Negotiating Framework.
Marta Kos, who succeeds Hungarian Oliver Varhei, is a former Slovenian ambassador to Germany and Switzerland. She was deputy chair of the liberal Freedom Movement led by Prime Minister Robert Golob. In 2022, she ran for president of Slovenia, but later withdrew from the campaign. | BGNES
