President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova met today with MEP and European Parliament Standing Rapporteur for the country, Thomas Waitz, accompanied by the Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Michalis Rokas.
The meeting focused on the Macedonian European integration, opportunities and conditions for unblocking the accession process, and the European Union’s enlargement policy, viewed through the prism of geopolitical threats and the use of the veto.
Siljanovska-Davkova welcomed the efforts to ensure an objective approach in Waitz’s reporting, as well as his clear stance that bilateral issues should be kept aside of the formal EU accession process.
Ahead of the European Commission’s report, the interlocutors exchanged views on necessary and potential reforms to the enlargement process, based on identified challenges.
For Siljanovska-Davkova, it is crucial to accelerate the pace of European integration and shield it from irrational obstructions, while ensuring stronger institutional safeguards for the merit-based principle within the accession process. She specifically pointed to Article 4 paragraphs (2) and (3) of the Treaty on European Union which mandate respect for national identity and constitutional and political structures, as well as an obligation of member-states to engage in sincere cooperation and refrain from undermining EU objectives, noting that the abuse of the veto and the imposition of bilateral conditions linked to identity, history and language conflict with these provisions.
The President recalled the difficult and unprecedented compromises made over the past decades in the interest of the European integration, noting that not only has membership not been achieved, but negotiations have not even begun.
Waitz explained his good intentions, neutrality and commitment to the process, acknowledging the prevailing influence of politics; he provided the President with a detailed overview of all actions taken regarding the Macedonian-Bulgarian relations, highlighted the need for friendly gestures from both sides, and emphasized the EU’s firm commitment to enlargement.
