• Sunday, 07 July 2024

North Macedonia section in EU draft-conclusions still empty

North Macedonia section in EU draft-conclusions still empty
Brussels, 21 June 2022 (MIA) – MIA has obtained the draft-conclusions of the EU summit due to take place on June 23-24 and the uncertainty regarding North Macedonia is reflected in the document because the section for the country is still empty, the agency’s correspondent reports from Brussels. The draft-conclusions initially refer to a “new platform” for involvement of all countries on the European continent and promotion of the proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron over a European political community. According to the document, the objective is to stimulate political dialogue and cooperation in managing the issues of common interest in order to strengthen security, stability and prosperity on the European continent. It adds that this “framework” will not replace the existing EU instruments, including enlargement. Regarding the Western Balkans, the EU will once again reaffirm its full and unwavering commitment for membership of the regional states, calling for acceleration of the Union accession process. Section 13 on North Macedonia remains empty, with the caption “negotiations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia” and nothing more. The process of adopting North Macedonia’s negotiating framework is still uncertain, after EU ambassadors briefly discussed the French proposal and the negotiating framework late on Monday. The majority of member-states want to see the dispute resolved so that Skopje and Tirana get something by the end of the week, but the political uncertainty in Bulgaria does not allow for much optimism among Union members. A western diplomat has told MIA that all ambassadors, including the one from Bulgaria, welcomed France’s efforts to unblock the Skopje-Sofia process. “The story is not over yet, we have a complex political situation in Bulgaria and at this time, no one can say what will be the outcome,” say diplomats. Considering the government no-confidence vote in the Bulgarian parliament, it is still uncertain who will attend the summit in Brussels – Prime Minister Kiril Petkov or President Rumen Radev. In addition, the Bulgarian representative also presented new demands, including that the bilateral protocol is signed, not only aligned between the two countries, along with its incorporation in the negotiating framework. This demand was not supported at the meeting, since it also opens the issue of timeframes, considering that the move cannot be finalized by Friday’s summit even if North Macedonia agreed to it. The document could undergo changes as early as today, after the meeting of the EU European affairs ministers.