The European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi delivered Friday a joint statement on the early parliamentary elections in the country.
According to the preliminary findings and conclusions of the international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the elections were generally well run amid adjustments in response to the pandemic and the campaign was genuinely competitive, but legal stability was undermined by substantial revisions to the legal framework and subsequent government decrees.
Once the OSCE/ODIHR issues its recommendations for future elections, the European Union expects all political actors, relevant institutions and stakeholders to continue to work together to implement those recommendations well ahead of the next elections, joint statement read.
“We look forward to working with a strong parliament and a stable coalition government that should deliver on the country’s strategic objective of EU integration and address citizens’ expectations. We are committed to continue responding jointly to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences,” Borrell and Várhelyi said in a joint statement.
We expect the authorities to continue to deliver on the country’s EU commitments, to sustain and accelerate the implementation of EU-related reforms, in particular in the field of rule of law, fight against organized crime and corruption, as well as to further strengthen good neighborly relations.
“The European Union will continue to support North Macedonia on its path to the EU and looks forward to holding of the first Intergovernmental Conference as soon as possible,” reads the joint statement.
