Skopje, 29 August 2023 (MIA) - The EU enlargement policy is the strongest policy of the European Union, and the more people believe it is tangible, the stronger will be the voice of the European Union, Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj told Tuesday's panel "Goodbye Europe!(?) – Global Vassal or Global Leader: Europe in a New Geopolitical Age" held as part of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF), the Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release.  

"Our partnership with the EU is extremely important. But without a tangible accession plan and date, nobody in the region will care what the European Union says, and this is why I value very high the speech of European Council President Charles Michel yesterday, according to which the reforms in the EU and the reforms in the Western Balkans need to happen at the same time and come together in 2030," said Marichikj. 

Marichikj said that EU citizens and politicians should know that if they support the enlargement now with a time frame, it will bring back great benefits.

"The benefits of the EU are underestimated by young people, and it is our job, as politicians, to emphasize the benefits and values ​​of the EU because they are great and there are many of them," Marichikj pointed out.

He added that the war in Ukraine was an alarm and a warning for the EU, which brought to the surface all the weaknesses of the Union, and above all the need for the region to unite and strengthen the transatlantic partnership, which is crucial for the EU.

"The enlargement policy should be taken very seriously, we need a plan, otherwise if it remains as the promise in Thessaloniki, then we will have a big disappointment. The Western Balkans is not in the neighborhood, it is in the EU's backyard," Marichikj said, adding that a Union based on values ​​is better than an empire because values ​​are key.

According to the Deputy PM, the transatlantic partnership is irreplaceable for the strength of the European Union because it is based on values, and potential flirting with China could be very risky. 

"The EU has shown it is a global leader, demonstrating strength in difficult times for its partners who stand up for European values, across Europe and the world. It was confirmed that the EU takes care of us as partners and future member, during the Covid crisis, the energy and food crisis, providing EUR 80 million for energy and many other types of support," Marichikj noted. 

At the beginning of the panel, he expressed solidarity and partnership with Slovenia and the Slovenian people, noting that North Macedonia is ready to provide additional assistance.

Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, Federica Mogherini, Rector at the College of Europe, Belgium, Arancha González, Dean at the Paris School of International Affairs, France, and Miroslav Wlachovský, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, also took part in the panel discussion, reads the press release. 

Photo: Secretariat for European Affairs