The Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Hristiyan Mitskoski, delivered a report last night at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna on overcoming the last obstacles to the admission of his country in the EU, reported the Austrian APA agency.
Bulgaria's demands for the protection of the Bulgarian minority to be included in the constitution of North Macedonia were rejected by the prime minister in 2022 as a "Bulgarian diktat", but now they can still be implemented under his government.
However, this provision will come into force "after the Greek Parliament ratifies the agreement (the Prespa Treaty, which opens the way) for North Macedonia to join the EU," Mickoski explained. He has been at the head of the government of North Macedonia since June 2024 as the leader of the Christian Democratic conservative party VMRO-DPMNE, which won the elections in May.
Mickoski pointed out that since 2000, the Republic of North Macedonia has already changed its constitution ten times in order to join the EU and NATO.
"However, we are still in the waiting room!", said Mickoski, who taught at the University of Mechanical Engineering in Skopje.
In his words, his country has already changed its flag, currency and name.
"Although we have fulfilled all the requests, accession negotiations have not yet started,” Mickoski said.
The 47-year-old politician criticized Bulgaria's demands for protection of the Bulgarian minority in the Republic of North Macedonia, which "consists of only 900 people". On the other hand, "nearly 10,000 of his fellow citizens continue to be discriminated against in Bulgaria".
He stated that "they were banned several times from establishing associations and non-governmental organizations, including a cultural center that had to be closed a few weeks after its opening. In the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, 14 cases are pending against Bulgaria for discrimination against the citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia, but none against North Macedonia," he noted.
"The score there is 14 to zero in our favor," he emphasized.
Mickoski also touched on the latest offer for mediation by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the dispute between North Macedonia and Bulgaria. The Bulgarian government immediately rejected this as an unwanted intervention, but the bilateral talks did not make any progress.
There are plans in the EU to abolish the principle of unanimity when accepting new members.
According to him, the country has a great future as a corridor for electricity and gas, as well as for railway transport. Two important European corridors cross in North Macedonia, and the construction of gas pipelines from the ports in Greece through the country to Serbia will begin as early as 2025, he said.
Thus, the whole of Central and Eastern Europe will be supplied with natural gas from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and other countries, in order to become independent from Russian natural gas, added the Prime Minister of the RSM. Building a high-speed rail line would also allow products to be shipped from Greek ports to central Europe faster than is currently possible from Rotterdam, he said.
Mickoski defined economic relations with Austria as "excellent". Austrian companies have invested around 1.4 billion euros in North Macedonia. As priorities of his government, he indicated the improvement of the standard of living in North Macedonia and the measures against the emigration of young citizens of the country.
"The brain drain must finally be stopped. Three-quarters of RSM citizens still support joining the EU, but disillusionment is growing," the Prime Minister warned.