We have lost a lot of time and energy in the previous two decades due to the name dispute that we overcame with the Prespa Agreement, otherwise highlighted as a triumph of diplomacy from all over the democratic world. We all expected that this success would finally allow us to focus on the reform process so that our young generations would stay at home. “Given the current situation, I think we should focus on this process instead of the disappointment of one EU Council meeting,” he said.Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov at an online conference on the European integration process in the region, organized by the Europe Institute at the University of Saarbrücken, Germany.

Addressing the European academic community, Deputy Prime Minister Dimitrov stressed that Northern Macedonia’s path to the EU is particularly specific and drastic in terms of time, but also the challenges imposed, which call into question the EU influence on the region based on the policy of conditionality, which means progress based on meeting the accession criteria.

Dimitrov added that Northern Macedonia has made significant progress in the process of Europeanization as a key process for transposing European standards in order to improve the quality of life of citizens and opportunities for young people, as the essence of the accession process.

– The EU accession process is the strongest tool for the transformation of society and a common challenge is to make it more dynamic and deliver real results, because the start of negotiations in itself is not a guarantee that the country will become European overnight. Northern Macedonia has better readiness in the first cluster “Foundations” compared to even the countries that are in the negotiation process and our energy should be directed in this direction, said Dimitrov.

The conference was attended by senior officials from the region, including the Deputy Minister of Justice of Albania, and together with prominent members of the academic community in Germany, reaffirmed the importance of European integration of the region, which is a key moment in opening accession talks with Northern Macedonia. Albania.

Source: MIA