Skopje, 19 November 2021 (MIA) – Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov took part Friday in a round table discussion on EU enlargement in Madrid. The discussion focused on how the region, as well as the EU and member states, will benefit from enlargement, and on the transformative power of the accession process, the Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release. Dimitrov told the event that enlargement is the completion of the European project on ensuring lasting peace and prosperity on the continent. “The day our six countries will join the European Union, the map of Europe will not enlarge, it will just change color. A more precise term would be the completion of the European project," said Dimitrov. He underlined that North Macedonia’s EU integration is an issues that appraises EU’s internal cohesion and the values it’s based on, as well as the Union’s influence in the region. “The reason for postponing the start of our EU accession negotiations wasn’t failure to meet the Copenhagen criteria, but bilateral dispute. We invested a lot of political capital in EU’s promise, but when the EU didn’t deliver on this promise, it started to lose its influence in this key strategic region. It became clear that member states can influence enlargement and impose their national interests, but does that mean they can set conditions that oppose European values? The main trap in accession is becoming hostage to bilateral issues. The best and only way for countries to grow together, become wiser and more mature from political aspect is through the European project,” Deputy PM Dimitrov stressed. Spain’s representative in the General Affairs Council (GAC) Juan González-Barba, GAC head Gašper Dovžan, Serbia’s Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, as well as high representatives for foreign and European affairs from Albania and Montenegro, also attended the discussion. Barba underlined at the event that starting accession talks with North Macedonia is an urgent issue, as EU enlargement entails strengthening Europe and strategic autonomy. Dovžan noted that the transformative power can really contribute to change, so stagnation of the process is the greatest risk. Therefore, he added, North Macedonia’s European file is top priority for the current presidency. Deputy PM Dimitrov, the press release read, will also hold on Friday a bilateral meeting in Madrid with Spain’s Barba.