President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, in Venice on the eve of the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Venice Commission.
At the meeting, opinions were exchanged on the current situation on the European continent. The interlocutors agreed that, as the oldest and most representative European institution, the Council of Europe has the legitimacy to engage in finding solutions to contemporary geopolitical challenges. In that context, Secretary General Berset said that in a time of increased militarization of the continent and regression of democracy, it is necessary to strengthen democratic institutions.
The President welcomed the New Democratic Pact for Europe of the Council of Europe, assessing that the initiative can help strengthen the democratic consolidation of European states due to their greater resistance to growing authoritarian tendencies.
Referring to the Macedonian European integration, the President said that, due to bilateralization, the integration process, instead of fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria, is being abused to impose a revision of history. According to her, fulfilling the obligations and recommendations of the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission, as well as the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, should be an obligation of each of the member states.
Regarding the countries of the Western Balkans, Secretary General Berset pointed out that if double standards are not rejected, the European Union will lose not only credibility, but also the ability to act in the region.
