Strong support for opening accession negotiations and acknowledgment to North Macedonia for its leadership in investments in renewable energy sources was reaffirmed during a meeting in Brussels between Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and members of the Macedonian delegation including Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani and Ambassador Agneza Rusi Popovska, Head of Mission of the Republic of North Macedonia to the EU with the European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans.
PM Zaev expressed his gratitude for the support of EC Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans for opening accession talks with North Macedonia and added this issue should not be delayed because our country, as well as the Western Balkans, are part of the future of the European Union, the government said in a press release.
EC Executive Vice President Timmermans commended the leadership and achieved progress and democratic and reform transformation in North Macedonia in the past few years, adding that he remains firm in his personal and institutional commitment on opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia.
They agreed that there should be no decoupling of Albania and North Macedonia in the accession process. North Macedonia has met all the conditions to start negotiations, which was confirmed in the EC reports that recommended unconditional start of accession negotiations, reads the press release.
The meeting also tackled the post COVID-19 period and EU support to the Western Balkan region and our country in socio-economic recovery. Timmermans commended the success of North Macedonia in its leadership in investments in renewable energy sources, which is a serious investment of the country in projects for which EU will provide financial assistance through the Economic Investment Plan and IPA programme worth EUR 9 billion in grants and additional EUR 20 billion in favorable loans for infrastructure and other projects in the region, the government said in a press release.
