Skopje, 30 October 2023 (MIA) - We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure the country's European future by taking the required decisions in the Parliament. Everyone must take the responsibility for the sake of current and future generations. One must not calculate when it comes to these issues, one must not build personal political ratings, and one must not play with people's emotions, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski on Monday. 

"I have said on many occasions that I am a person who believes in the accomplishment of the goal and works on this. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure the country's European future by taking the required decisions in the Parliament. I hope those who have always been against the country's Euro-Atlantic integration will demonstrate they are in favor of the European future for the first time on record. Why am I saying this? Because, as the EC President said, there is now an open window for European Union accession. This topic did not even get broad consensus among member-states a few years ago. Now, amid this geopolitical moment, all countries are unanimous that enlargement should take place. When seeing the map of Europe, this is in fact unification of Europe, because the countries of the Western Balkans are surrounded by EU member-states," PM Kovachevski told a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

He added that North Macedonia has already aligned 50 percent of its legislation with the EU law, whereas institutions are fully harmonized with those of the Union.

"Our economic system is at a performance level that leads to obtaining macro-finance assistance from the EU. Therefore, I believe everyone must take the responsibility for the sake of current and future generations. One must not calculate when it comes to these issues, one must not build personal political ratings, and one must not play with people's emotions, because this will only lead to a rerun of what we saw for a period of 11 years, when interethnic relations worsened, relations with neighbors worsened, NATO and EU integration did not move an inch, whereas the economy did not rise by more than two percent at an annual inflation of three percent. Poor experiences from history must not repeat. I will continue to work with coalition partners on the dream of a European Macedonia by 2030," said Kovachevski when quizzed about the plan if the constitutional revision failed.