Skopje, 1 February 2023 (MIA) - EU Ambassador David Geer says all countries that want to join the Union should apply human right standards and the Council of Europe monitors any candidate state in this regard.

Ambassador Geer told Telma that despite the fact there are different opinions in the public over the constitutional amendments to incorporate Bulgarians, everyone should think what would this change mean in practice.

"A constitutional revision is, first and foremost, a sovereign right of this country. Of course, we are seeing many different voices but I believe it is important to take a step back and ask ourselves what does this constitutional change mean in practice. In reality, this means to include citizens of the country who identity themselves as Bulgarians. There is no change of the Constitution's essence, the country's identity or its core interests are not infringed. This country already has good results when it comes to interethnic relations. Let's make a comparison to other countries, Croatia for example, which incorporates more than 20 communities in its constitution, including Bulgarians, Albanians and Macedonians. This has not changed the nature of their constitution or affected the country's interests. I think the most important thing is to have a debate on the subject matter and to try to put aside any rhetoric that distracts us from the issue at hand," says Geer.

He adds the EU is prepared to talk to everyone in order to explain the Union's viewpoint, but at the end of the day, the country is the one that should take the decision.

The EU Ambassador also refers to corruption, which he sees as the biggest challenge for the country because it impacts the rights of citizens, access to education, health, employment, promotion.

"In a broader sense, there have been some positive steps through the adoption of certain laws, some institutions are already efficient in their work, such as the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption and audit authorities. Nevertheless, as you are well aware, regulations are not enough, they should be implemented as well. Regarding the judiciary, there are individuals who are doing their job as they should but the public's trust in the judiciary is very low. Therefore, the judiciary and the prosecution should show the public that justice can be served through proper proceedings," notes Geer.

He says the Government must have the leading role but other institutions as well, including the media.