Kallas backs North Macedonia's EU membership progress despite ongoing obstacles

Published connected 23/05/2025 - 17:27 GMT+2•Updated 17:31

European Union overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas voiced beardown support for North Macedonia's way to go a full-fledged personnel of nan bloc connected her past extremity of a three-day sojourn to nan Western Balkan hopefuls.

Speaking alongside Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski successful Skopje connected Thursday, Kallas said nan EU “stands firmly” pinch North Macedonia and praised nan country’s advancement connected economical growth, reforms, and alignment pinch EU overseas and information policies.

“North Macedonia belongs to nan European Union,” she said.

After years of small to nary activity connected their respective rank paths, Brussels has rescuscitated accession talks pinch countries successful Europe's southeast aft Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine, aft fears emerged that Moscow aliases different malign actors mightiness capitalise connected immoderate instability successful what has been dubbed nan continent's "soft underbelly".

The EU overseas argumentation main again reiterated these concerns, informing that non-integration of nan Western Balkans into nan 27-member bloc remains a information risk.

“The European Union is simply a bid project,” she said, “and afloat integration of nan region helps trim tensions.”

'We've faced challenges nary different state has encountered'

Considered an early frontrunner pursuing nan breakup of nan erstwhile Yugoslavia successful nan 1990s, North Macedonia has remained connected nan receiving extremity of EU rank vetoes complete bilateral disputes pinch EU personnel states Greece and Bulgaria.

After resolving nan decades-long standoff pinch Athens by signing nan 2018 Prespa Agreement, Skopje again saw its rank bid conditioned by further demands, this clip by Sofia.

"Unfortunately, for much than 20 years, we’ve faced challenges that nary different state — I would opportunity successful nan Western Balkans, aliases moreover those that are now EU personnel states — has encountered," Mickoski told Euronews Serbia successful an question and reply past week.

"Let maine punctual you: together pinch Croatia, we were granted campaigner position for EU rank backmost successful 2005 — astir 20 years ago. Since 2008, some Croatia and North Macedonia received a affirmative study from nan European Commission recommending nan commencement of negotiations pinch nan EU," nan Macedonian premier explained.

"Unfortunately, 20 years later, we are still successful nan aforesaid spot we were backmost then."

"Our way toward afloat EU rank is burdened pinch bilateral issues, and astir often, these are issues tied to identity, arsenic good arsenic to humanities events that happened 10 aliases much hundreds of years ago," Mickoski added.

"Sadly, nary surviving personification tin attest to what precisely happened 10 hundreds of years ago, truthful we are incapable to find a solution today."

"Instead of negotiating astir nan early — astir nan 22nd century, astir nan challenges of nan 21st century, artificial intelligence, awesome power transitions, and each existent world topics — we person been stuck for 20 years owed to bilateral disputes. And we are still wherever we were precisely 20 years ago."

Recently, Albania and Montenegro person emerged arsenic nan region's main frontrunners for EU membership. Serbia, North Macedonia and Bosnia are nan different 3 campaigner countries among nan Western Balkan six, while Kosovo still remains a imaginable candidate.