The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
Think Tank Says Macedonia Lagging Behind
Skopje | 17 July 2009 |
The Brussels-based European Policy Centre, EPC seen as one of Europe’s most influential think tanks, in a comment by one of its experts dubbed “Macedonia: what's in a name - and behind it?” slams the country for pursuing potentially harmful politics and for lagging in nearly all areas needed for speedy EU accession.
The European Commission is to issue its annual progress report on the country in October, and Skopje hopes it will contain a recommendation date for the start of its EU accession. The EC said that would depend on the fulfillment of the eight benchmarks.
“All the benchmarks are in final phase,” Naumovski said late Thursday in an interview with local A1 TV. He argued that EPC’s remarks should not be taken for granted.
If Skopje fails to acquire a date from the EC this autumn, it would be the fourth year in a row since Macedonia was granted EU candidate status. The EC cited insufficient reforms in its former reports.
Although pointing out that there is time for quick progress to be made this year, the EPC notes that the areas of “political dialogue; police laws; judicial reform; anti-corruption legislation, public administration; employment; and the business climate” still require work.
Only one benchmark, demanding that Macedonia conduct fair and democratic elections this March, has been met, the EPC says.
Harmonizing the country’s legislation with the EU’s standards, continued implementation of the 2001 Ohrid Peace Accord including full inclusion of the ethnic Albanian minority in the social, political and economic life of the country, and the struggle to maintain the constitutional separation of powers between church and state, remain the key problems in Macedonia, the report says.
As September 15, the deadline for fulfillment of benchmarks, approaches “the government and all institutions are exerting maximum effort for their completion”, Naumovski said.
The think tank further slams the government for waging potentially dangerous politics regarding the ongoing “name” spat with Greece, which since last year has blocked the country’s NATO entry and is seen as potentially devastating for its EU effort as well.
The report argues that the centre-right VMRO DPMNE-led government policy of renaming public sites with names from antiquity is “short-sighted and risks becoming a liability” for the country’s EU bid.
Beginning in 2006, when VMRO DPMNE came to power, a long list of sites including highways and sporting arenas were name after ancient heroes whose origin is still disputed between Macedonia and Greece.
EPC warns the authorities in Skopje that these heroes in the west are perceived as Greek and that Skopje’s attempt to bring then to the table as bargaining chips in the tug of war over Macedonia’s formal name, which Greece disputes, could backfire.
(Reporting by Sinisa-Jakov Marusic)
2009-07-17 14:33:20