Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova has welcomed the non-paper initiated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the EU-Western Balkans Summit but says a final assessment can be given only once an official document is produced.
“My assessment will be given once we see a ‘paper,’ because ‘non-paper’ means something that has no title, no name, no signature. Although such documents have always, or very often, preceded the real ones. If we assess the step, then I welcome it,” President Siljanovska Davkova said in an interview with “360 Degrees”.
The Macedonian head of state says the region has faced a standstill in the Euro-integration process for years, contributing to a vague position by the European Union, while highlighting the need for more predictability in the process.
On the possible benefits for the country, Siljanovska-Davkova says some of the proposed measures are already familiar and their implementation can lead to gradual Europeanization and bring membership closer, warning they should not serve as a replacement for full-fledged membership.
“These measures would keep us fit and make us similar to the members. In a way, Europeanization on the go and together. The first step of this philosophy was the Growth Plan, and this is no coincidence. This is already step two of the reform,” said Siljanovska-Davkova.
On the lack of a provisional date for the gradual integration, she stresses the need for a clear timeline, as per the Montenegro model, but determined individually for each country.
In the context of the country’s Euro-integration, the Macedonian President says the challenge remains with the factual opening of the clusters, adding there are possible mechanisms to overcome blockades not linked to the Copenhagen criteria.
