Macedonia PM Rejects EU's 'Exaggerated' Criticism

PM Nikola Gruevski | Photo by: FoNet

Macedonia's Prime Minister has dismissed EU criticism of his government's handling of reforms and the ongoing dispute with neighbouring Greece.

Yesterday, the European Commission confirmed for the third year running its recommendation for a start to Macedonia's accession negotiations with the European Union - but again did not set an actual date for a start to talks.
 
But the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fuele, noted that “one more year should not go to waste.

“It is no secret that I sent a message to the authorities that, with the current pace of reform, or actually the lack of the reform, and with only a half-hearted approach [towards] implementation, they should not take it for granted that the next year our recommendation will stay as this year, even if the name issue is being solved,” Fuele told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday.

Arguing that over the past year the country had invested less effort in reforms, Fuele said that core challenges remained in the areas of independence of the judiciary, reform of public administration, fighting corruption as well as freedom of expression in the media.

Gruevski responded by decribing Fuele's words as  “not a help, but a hindrance to settling the main problem of our EU integration - the one Greece is having with the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia”.

Greece has been blocking Macedonian EU accession talks since 2009. Athens insists that use of the name "Macedonia" implies a territorial claim to its own northern province with the same name.

Gruevski denied that Macedonia had slowed the pace of reforms, blaming Greece for whatever delays had occurred.

"For three years we have been working hard on reforms, being at the same time blocked by an irrational, virtual dispute, which is not based on European values and standards that we, even under blockade, have been persistently meeting," he said.

"We have invested not less but three times more efforts to succeed, and remain committed to the EU integration process," Gruevski added.
 
Gruevski went on to say that the Commission’s “strategy of exaggerating” certain problems in regard to the judiciary and public administration, along with the “alleged problem with the freedom of expression” was in spite of “the fact that Macedonia has been conducting crucial reforms in these spheres for the last three years”.

On a more emollient note, the Prime Minister insisted that his government respects the Commission’s recommendations and will continue to work in line with their recommendations.

In its annual progress reports on the Western Balkan’s countries, released on Wednesday, the Commission noted that Croatia had concluded successfully its accession talks, recommended a start of talks with Montenegro and recommended granting Serbia EU candidate member status.