President Dr. Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova delivered an introductory speech at the panel discussion of the European Democratic Students (EDS), participants in the EDS Winter University 2026, which is being held this year in Skopje.
The young leaders thanked for the reception and expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to exchange views on democracy, security and the European future of the Western Balkans, which was the topic of the panel.
Siljanovska-Davkova spoke about the crisis of democracy in the world and Europe, as well as the EU’s democratic deficit, the serious security threats and unsustainability of the exclusion of the countries of the so-called Western Balkans from EU membership.
According to her, the demands of the neighbors that we have been facing for decades deviate from the Copenhagen criteria and are not in the spirit of the constitutive acts of the European Union.
She recalled the dozen “yes” by the European Parliament and the European Commission and even more “no” by the European Council due to the vetoes by some neighbors.
Referring to the comparative historical experiences of the enlargement of the European Union, the President pointed to examples of the inclusion in membership of candidates who did not meet some of the criteria for EU membership, as evidence of double standards and damaged credibility.
For her, the Western Balkan countries are not a burden on the EU’s absorption capacity and its admission will mark the end of the artificial division between West and East, will put an end to Balkanization and will ensure greater security for the EU, but also for Europe.
Moreover, according to the President, although it is currently difficult to talk about EU reforms, they are indeed necessary.
The President expects the EU to urgently reconsider its relationship and policy towards the Western Balkans, given the growing security threats and dilemmas in a military and uncertain international environment, the disrupted, dramatic change in the international order, minimized multilateralism and the serious crisis of leadership.
For her, wars are fertile ground for authoritarianism, republican monarchism, of the Bonapartist type, but also a threat of new waves of migrants.
However, Siljanovska-Davkova still believes in the chances of negotiations to restore peace, security and democracy.
The European democratic students joined the panel discussion with a series of questions and comments, including the following: “As the first female president, how would you advise us, the critically minded youth, to influence the increase in the number and participation of women in policymaking at all levels? What are the Macedonian priorities in security policy and how will you achieve them? How difficult is it to promote and maintain civic unity in a multiethnic society, like the Macedonian one?”.
