Ambassadors React to Latest Developments on North Macedonia’s EU Path

“We do remain disappointed that the EU Member States were unable to include approval at the General Affairs meeting yesterday,” US Ambassador Kate Marie Byrnes said at the Skopje Economic Forum on Wednesday. However, as she added, there is no doubt that the country has done the work necessary to launch talks. At the same event, Germany’s Ambassador, Anke Holstein, stated that the EU had to stand by its commitments. According to the EU Delegation Head, Ambassador David Geer, the fundamentals haven’t changed, while the pledges from Thessaloniki are clear and alive. According to Italian Ambassador Andrea Silvestri, his country supports the EU perspective of all Western Balkan countries. North Macedonia, he added, did a lot. However, in Silvestri’s view, a lot remains to be achieved, too, because EU integration is a process.