Rapporteur for Macedonia in the European Parliament Thomas Waitz told TV Kanal 5 that the interview given to Bulgarian television was recorded more than seven weeks ago and that it is not clear why it was published only now.
According to Waitz, the statements in which he speaks of the assessment that the country has no progress in reforms were given at the beginning of March and that they reflected the current situation at that time.
“The interview is from more than seven weeks ago and shows the assessment of the momentum at the beginning of March,” said the rapporteur.
Waitz also adds that he is surprised that the interview was published just a few days ago.
“I think it is not very professional, we were told otherwise. I was a little surprised that it was published a few days ago. But unfortunately, it seems that there is some kind of agenda behind it,” said Waitz in an interview with TV Kanal 5.
According to the EU rapporteur, Macedonia is making progress in the reform process and has additional time to fulfill the necessary obligations within the reform agenda by June.
In the interview with TV Kanal 5, published on April 29, Waitz talks about the report on Macedonia’s progress in the European Parliament, but also about the amendment that he himself submitted to make a clear distinction whether the protocol signed with Bulgaria is part of the country’s negotiating framework.
