At Villa Vodno, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova met with students from the College of Europe in Tirana who are visiting the country as part of a study tour focused on the impact of the European integration on the transformation of Western Balkan nations.
She welcomed the educational program and said that these students, as future European professionals and leaders, can contribute to peace, security and solidarity among European peoples and citizens through their knowledge and critical thinking.
In her view, comprehensive regional cooperation and mutual support on the path to the EU are of immense importance, not only for relations among the countries of the region but also for the EU member states’ relations with us.
The students showed interest in the President’s constitutional powers regarding domestic and foreign policy, as well as the actual role of the office in the European integration process.
They asked Siljanovska-Davkova questions on the consequences that the (non-)implementation of European Court of Human Rights rulings in Strasbourg has on the credibility of European institutions, as well as the Macedonian European prospects and integration opportunities amidst the current blockade. the benefits of EU membership for both the Macedonian state and the Union, as well as the President’s stance on the phased integration of the Western Balkans into the EU.
The President holds the view that enlargement should be based on meeting the Copenhagen criteria.
She also believes that gradual integration can yield tangible benefits even prior to full membership, but that it must not serve as a substitute thereof.
Siljanovska-Davkova reminded the audience that EU institutions must not lose sight of the principles and values enshrined in the founding documents without which the EU cannot function as a community, but merely as a political and bureaucratic machine.
Siljanovska-Davkova said that, as a president with a strong, direct electoral mandate, she has an obligation to represent all citizens; consequently, she insists on dialogue and consensus regarding issues of national interest.
In closing, the students thanked the President for the dialogue and invited her to visit the College of Europe in Tirana.
