Skopje, 4 November 2023 (MIA) — Bulgaria will not set any new conditions for North Macedonia's full integration into the European Union, according to Gabriel Escobar, US Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Special Representative to the Western Balkans, in a recent interview with Voice of America in Macedonian.

In the phone call with VOA in Macedonian, Escobar said Bulgarian diplomats had assured him they had no intention of adding any more conditions for North Macedonia on its way to the EU because Bulgaria wanted to see the region moving forward on the European path.

"They would like to see progress," Escobar said, adding that the US wants to make sure they can work with all parties in meeting the required conditions for North Macedonia to move forward in the accession process.

In response to VOA's question if there would be no new veto if the other conditions were met, Escobar said, "That's how I interpreted it."

When asked if the US was concerned over the possibility of the constitutional changes being passed at the expense of undermining the rule of law and justice — after media reports suggested that some prison sentences would be commuted to secure votes for the amendments — Escobar said he would not want to speculate on what was happening on the local political scene.

"That is up to the people of North Macedonia to decide," he said, adding that every country that joined the EU would become more prosperous, more democratic and more stable because of its commitment to the rule of law. 

Escober said the country should focus on sustaining the reforms needed for EU membership. "We will continue to stand with the people who want reforms and who want to meet the European requirements," he said.

He also said he had not heard of any bargaining over the constitutional changes between the government and fugitive former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, which the opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski alleged in a German newspaper.

"I don't have any information on this," Escobar said, pointing out North Macedonia should not compromise on its ideals and reiterating that the country's progress in the rule of law was important to sustain because membership in the EU is "really about standards and values and commitment to the rule of law," he said.

According to him, challenges related to the rule of law and corruption continue to plague the Western Balkans.

This is why, he added, the US urged governments to do more in the fight against corruption and show concrete results as well as strengthen institutions that are the basis of the rule of law.

Escobar also pointed out that US sanctions against corrupt actors were effective and there were more to come.

"Sanctions are extremely effective, which is why everyone fears them and so they are an important tool for the US in helping to fight corruption," he said, adding that "sanctions will continue and they will make a difference." 

"We need to be very clear that this is a problem affecting the entire region, and not just one or two countries," Escobar said.

The US said last month that corruption had the potential to undermine North Macedonia's strategic ambitions. 

In response to VOA's question if the recent changes to the Criminal Code reducing sentences for abuse of office would make it harder for the US to help fight corruption in the state, the US Department of State said the leaders of North Macedonia needed to show robust anticorruption results by strengthening institutional independence and preventing political interference, especially in the judiciary, as that was necessary to join the EU and to build public trust in the system. mr/