French diplomat Le Roy praises Brave decisions by Macedonia’s leaders

French diplomat and ex-EUSR to Skopje Alain Le Roy says that the brave decisions made by Macedonia’s leaders and Prespa Agreement have enabled the country’s progress on the NATO road. Regarding ratification of the Accession Protocol by his country, he says he has no information. “I don’t know whether there is a concrete date when the NATO Protocol would be ratified. I hope it will be in the coming months, but it will be ratified by all members’ Parliaments by the end of this year,” Le Roy notes. Commenting on the issue of whether the enlargement process can be obstructed by some EU members’ insistence on the need to implement internal reforms first, the French diplomat underlines the importance of reforms in both the Union and Macedonia. “I think all of that will be decided in June and after the European Parliament elections. We hope there will be reforms both within the frameworks of the EU and in Macedonia. The decision will be made in June and I cannot predict what the decision would be,” he stresses. Though Le Roy is sure that Macedonia will be a full-fledged NATO member by the end of the EU, he is reserved when it comes to EU negotiations. “By the end of this year, Macedonia will be a full-fledged NATO member and we hope the country will in the meantime start negotiations with the EU. I can’t predict anything when it comes to this either. The EU council should decide on that in June,” Le Roy underlines.