Skopje, 15 December 2021 (MIA) – The Bulgarian veto has “succeeded” where other external influences failed – to reduce the EU’s power and influence in the whole Western Balkans region, Defence Minister Radmila Shekerinska said Wednesday at a ministerial meeting of the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC), currently chaired by Croatia. “The failure to deliver what North Macedonia deserves has been threatening the EU in a key region surrounded by EU members,” she told the meeting, said the Defence Ministry said. North Macedonia, Shekerinska said, in the past several years had worked on vital, painful and difficult reforms, not only to settle the bilateral issues with Greece and Bulgaria, but also on matters considered crucial for the European agenda, such as human rights, rule of law, transparency, fight against corruption, and the rights of minorities. “North Macedonia has produced evident results in all the spheres,” she stressed. According to the Minister, the Western Balkans is the key to security and the success of the European Union and stability and prosperity of the Western Balkans depend on the region’s EU integration perspectives. The meeting, held via video conference, was chaired by the Croatian Defence Minister Mario Banožić and attended by the defence ministers of Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia, said the press release.