EP recommends start of Membership Negotiations with Macedonia in June 2019

The European parliament (EP), with a great majority, reached a decision on Thursday’s session to recommend the EU to start the membership negotiations with Macedonia in June 2019. MEP Ivo Vajgl said that both Macedonia and the EU should fulfil the promises they made concerning the integration processes, and welcomed the adoption and implementation of the Prespa Agreement in both Macedonia and Greece. EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in his address that Macedonia is back on track when it comes to the integrative processes, and praised the Macedonian government for its courage to fully implement all processes, including the Prespa Agreement. The EP also adopted the amendments filed by MEPs from the Soeical-democratic and Gren parties for requesting Hungary to extradite former Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski back to Macedonia. According to the GreenLeft, Gruevski managed to reach Hungary with a diplomatic passport granted by the Hungarian government, and evaluated this move as interfering in the internal affairs of Macedonia. The amendment filed by the Social-democrats claims that there are conditions in Macedonia for a fair trial of Gruevski and that he should be returned there, to be tried for another five cases.