By Martin Banks - 8th December 2008
Macedonia’s foreign minister has criticised the EU over “delaying” starting accession negotiations with his country.
Antonio Milososki told this website that the delay had caused “disappointment” to himself and his countrymen.
But he insisted that it would not deter his “determination” and he still expects the Balkan state to join the EU club “by 2013”.
Speaking in parliament on Monday, Milososki said his country had waited “too long” for accession talks to begin.
“We consider Macedonia to be politically and institutionally prepared to open negotiations,” he said.
“We are certainly no less prepared than some of those countries, such as Croatia, which have already started accession talks.”
“It is true to say there is a feeling of disappointment in the country that we are still waiting but, even so, this has not harmed the huge support for EU membership.”
He pointed to a recent opinion poll which, he said, showed that 90 per cent of Macedonians favoured their country joining the EU.
“Bearing in mind that Macedonia a multi-ethnic country this is a ‘cohesive power’ that goes beyond ethnic lines,” he added.
“The sooner we start talks the better it will be for both Macedonia and the EU’s position in the West Balkans.”
He said he had hoped that accession talks would begin this year but expressed optimism that they would start ion 2009.
“I do not see why these talks, once they start, should take any long than those of our regional neighbours, such as Slovenia. In other words, I would expect them to be concluded within four years, paving our way to join the EU by 2013.”
During his two-day visit to Brussels, he was due to meet other EU foreign ministers, MEPs, commission officials and the Stabilisation Association Council. His visit comes a week after MEPs, in first reading, considered an accession report on Macedonia.
He also touched on the current state of implementation of the stabilisation and association agreement Macedonia signed with the EU in 2001.
“Implementation of this is at an advanced and final stage and, for me, this alone is further proof of our readiness to open accession talks with the EU,” he said.
Milososki, however, does accept some of the reservations about Macedonia’s readiness for accession which were voiced in a European commission report earlier this year.
“We know Macedonia is not perfect and I accept the commission’s recommendations that political dialogue should be improved among political parties in the country and similar improvements are necessary in our capacity for conducting proper elections.”
“I accept there were some irregularities in the most recent elections,” he said.
The minister, however, said that presidential and local polls planned for next March would meet the necessary criteria for “fair and proper elections”.
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