In a conference at the headquarters of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in Berlin dealing with the challenges and perspectives of Macedonia on its path to the European family the participants voiced the need for continuous reforms and commitment to the EU-integration process of Macedonia. The conference was organized by FES in cooperation with the German-Macedonian Association.

President Branko Crvenkovski pointed out that no Balkan country could make progress in any of the key challenges (democracy, economy, good neighborly relations) without a clear and undisputable EU perspective.

He highlighted as the lesson learned from 2001 that stable interethnic relations are the key factor for prosperity and sustainability in Macedonia. As challenges he defined the reforms in the judiciary, institutional reforms on central and local level and the improvement of Macedonia’s economic performance which is closely connected to the decrease of unemployment.

President Crvenkovski assessed as positive the commitment of both, the political actors as well as the citizens of Macedonia, for the EU-integration process. When talking about the name issue he said he would be favoring a faire compromise with Greece which would not endanger the ethnic, linguistic and cultural identity of Macedonia.

Vice-Primeminister Ivica Bocevski identified part of the challenges inside of the EU. The failure to ratify the Lisbon Treaty and a lack of commitment on the side of Brussels would constitute an impediment to the further enlargement of the EU. Defining the enlargement policies of the EU as one of the success stories of the Union, he asked for facilitation of the integration process of the Western Balkan countries. To make the perspective for a future integration of Macedonia into the EU more concrete, he also asked from Brussels to set clear dates. Macedonia, following his assessment, is ready and prepared to start accession negotiations as of tomorrow. Finally he was criticizing the Visa policies of the EU towards Macedonia and asked for its quick abolishment.

The President of the German-Macedonian Association and member of the “Deutscher Bundestag”, Mr. Walter Kolbow, called for continuous efforts from all sides, Brussels and Macedonia, to further stabilize the situation in Macedonia and to contribute to its integration into the European Union in a near future. He confirmed the strong commitment of Germany to assist Macedonia’s reform process in order to fulfill as quick as possible the benchmarks to finally become a full member of the European Union.