Geer: Process of EU accession doesn’t need to involve surrender of history and identity, but brings stability and prosperity
Skopje, 20 October 2022 (MIA) – Goodneighborly relations are an essential part of the EU integration process, and the process of accession to the European Union can be a vehicle to help promote and improve relations, EU Ambassador David Geer told Thursday’s conference on enlargement opportunities organized by the Czech Embassy in North Macedonia as part of a series of events co-organized with the Czech Embassy in Bulgaria and aimed at improving good neighborly relations and dialogue between Skopje and Sofia, as well as opportunities for strengthening economic cooperation.
Hosting the conference, Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Ludva said the focus of Thursday’s debate is on the common European market and its advantages.
“The past has not always been smooth. In talking about the past we tend to focus on the extraordinary achievements of former enemies coming together, putting aside questions of history in the common interest. But there are many examples of differences between member states within the European Union that still exist today, such as the issues between the Netherlands and Belgium, which are resolved on daily basis. Sometimes these issues can seem insurmountable, if we look back for example to the negotiations between Italy and Croatia and the issue of the offshore economic zones, which was eventually resolved. These sensitive issues and misunderstandings between neighbors are a constant which needs to be worked on all the time. Goodneighborly relations are an essential part of the accession process, because the EU doesn’t want to see the importing of differences and disputes, and because goodneighborly relations are crucial to promoting prosperity, innovation and creativity through improved connectivity, trade and exchange of human capital and investments. They are essential in ensuring stability and peace, and by doing so, improve the investment potential and prosperity across the board,” Geer said.
He stressed that we live in a world of ‘polycrisis’ - many different crises at once, such as the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine with the impact on energy and the cost of living, climate change, the digital revolution or migrating pressures, adding that obviously and in the interest of all of us to work closely together to address these challenges.
“Often underlying difficulties between nation states are linked to insecurities, past histories, pain and trauma from previous ages, sometimes more recent, and often these touch on issues of identity or a sense of who we are. I grew up in the United Kingdom. When I was growing up my understanding of the relationship with Ireland is very different from my understanding now. That’s why in seeking to promote goodneighborly relations, we all need to act with respect and oppeness. We need to listen to each other and extend a hand of friendship. It’s in our interest to do so. You do not lose your identity by doing so. The process of accession to the European Union can be a vehicle to help promote and improve relations. This process does not need to involve a surrender of history or a surrender of identity, indeed the opposite is the case. Membership in the European Union brings with it the advantages of greater stability, prosperity, and democratic accountability,” said EU Ambassador Geer.
Swedish Ambassador Ami Larsson-Jain, whose country is taking over the EU Presidency as of January 2023, welcomed this initiative aimed at constructive dialogue to include the whole of society, civil society and the business, stressing that collaboration of all kinds is needed now more than ever amid these challenging times for the continent, it is the only way forward and keeping up a strong alliance against breaches of international law and human rights abuses.
“When it comes to neighbors in the EU, what we have found from Sweden’s side is that the Nordic countries have a past which has been very much dominated by war and conflict. Today we use the similarities that we share to be best allies both in the EU and hopefully when Sweden joins NATO,” said Larsson-Jain.
Spanish Ambassador Jose Luis Lozano Garcia, whose country is to take over the EU Presidency from Sweden next year, congratulating on the Czech initiative, mentioned that Spain became a member of the European Union back in 1986 together with Portugal, and the EU accession after implementing the reforms has contributed to strengthening the country’s democracy and has brought a number of advantages and economic opportunities. In terms of enlargement opportunities and bilateral issues, he stressed the importance of the cross-border cooperation programme with Portugal.
The Spanish Ambassador added that the country is already preparing for its upcoming EU Presidency, and its position is that the region has been and still is very important particularly at these times of challenges.
Slovak Ambassador Henrik Markuš said in his personal view, for Slovakia the enlargement meant some kind of reunification with the Czech Republic, but also quality. Slovakia and the Czech Republic have become genuine partners, he added, thanks to the European Union membership, which has opened many opportunities for coexistence, and joining the single market and particularly the Eurozone has significantly impacted development.
“In this region you have now a number of initiatives, what comes to mind is the kind of competition as a common region market and the Open Balkan, which for some countries is a kind of controversial project. If the three members of the initiative prove that it is viable it will be a positive development in terms of more integration between the WB6 and their compatibility with the EU, and thus the easier the pass in the EU will be. North Macedonia should go ahead, we’re here to help, the benefits are extreme and it’s worth following this path,” Markuš said.
Bulgarian Ambassador Angel Angelov said there are strong indications that by the end of the year for the first time in history, trade exchange between Sofia and Skopje will exceed EUR 1 billion, which means that business is following good trends in relations, which is in the interest of the citizens of both countries. He noted that the role of Corridor 8, which is to connect Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania and Italy is of great importance in intensifying bilateral relations.
