EU: The new Macedonian government should be stable and committed

2024-05-30 14:57:44, Kosova & Bota CNA

The new government of North Macedonia must work on the implementation of the necessary reforms for the continuation of the European Union (EU) membership process, the EU ambassador in Skopje, David Geer, said on Thursday.

The European diplomat emphasized that the bloc believes in the formation of a stable government, which would be dedicated to the obligations it has received, both inside and outside the country.

"We expect the formation of a stable government as soon as possible. What we want to see, after the formation of the government, is for the new executive to roll up its sleeves and implement the reforms that are required on the path of integration towards the European Union", declared Geer.

Skopje has long been asked to make constitutional changes for the inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in its preamble, as a state-forming people. These changes are a condition for starting talks between him and Brussels for EU membership.

The new government - according to VMRO DPMNE chairman Hristijan Mickoski, who is expected to receive the mandate for the formation of the new executive after his party won the elections - will be formed in cooperation with the VLEN coalition of Albanian opposition parties, at the latest until the first week of June.

The VMRO says that it is not against the inclusion of the Bulgarians in the Constitution, but asks for a guarantee that Sofia will not present new demands against Skopje.

Meanwhile, Geer did not want to comment on the clashes between the political parties and in particular the accusations of the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) for "disrespecting the will of the Albanians in the elections" as well as the boycott of the session when Afrim Gashi was elected the new speaker of the Assembly. of North Macedonia.

"I believe that the interest of this country is to continue on the path to the European Union. We in the European Union are ready to work with the new government and all those who support the reform process, which is necessary for membership of the European Union, and we will do everything we can to help this country progress on the road to of the EU", emphasized Geer.

The Assembly of North Macedonia was constituted on May 28, while Afrim Gashi was elected as the Speaker of the Assembly from the VLEN coalition.

The election of Gashi also officially confirms the coalition for the formation of the new government between VMRO DPMNE and the four Albanian parties that make up the VLEN coalition.

DUI said on May 29 that the new parliamentary majority and therefore the government that will be formed "is not legitimate", since, according to DUI president Ali Ahmeti, "the elections on May 8 for the Albanians were won by the European Front, which also has the legitimacy of Albanian voters".

In the May 8 elections, the European Front, led by DUI, won 18 mandates, while the VLEN coalition won 14.

The latter says that DUI cannot claim the legitimacy of the Albanian vote, since four parties from other entities in North Macedonia are also part of the European Front./ REL