Zagreb, 24 March 2026 (MIA) - President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova told journalists Tuesday the country’s Euro-integration path is not just a long process, but a “marathon with hurdles, lacking any basis in European law”.

At Tuesday’s joint press conference with her Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanović in Zagreb, the President said she was surprised by the announcement that the European Parliament’s rapporteur for the country, Thomas Waitz, is preparing a second report and is requesting the Council’s legal service to interpret the Second Protocol related to the Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighbourliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria.

Siljanovska-Davkova stressed that the 2017 Treaty makes no mention of constitutional amendments, underscoring that such issues cannot be introduced through protocols agreed between ministers and not ratified by Parliament.

“Two foreign ministers acting as consuls cannot change an agreement. This is contrary to legal principles,” the President said, adding that she cannot understand how such provisions became a part of the country’s Negotiating Framework.

Siljanovska-Davkova said the issue of minorities and linguistic policy are not regulated on the level of the European Union, but are rather the sovereign right of the states, noting that there are deviations from these principles when it comes to North Macedonia.

The President added that the fault for this issue does not only lie in Europe and abroad, but also at home.

“This was also up to Macedonian politicians, who probably naively thought it would put an end to the sad tale of the marathon and begin a new European era. But that is not the case,” Siljanovska-Davkova said.

According to the President, there is a risk that new issues could be opened through the protocols. Issues, which she said, are not related to the Copenhagen criteria and instead represent interference in the country’s internal affairs.

Photo: President’s Office