SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English

Amelie de Montchalin, State Secretary for European Affairs at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, stated on Tuesday that though the Western Balkans’ European perspective was justified, a reformed negotiations process was needed. Before the meeting of the EU’s General Affairs Council, she said she hadn’t come with a position to defend a veto. According to Montchalin, the ...

According to PM Zoran Zaev, regardless of the decisions in Brussels, there is no need for early elections. Answering a journalist’s question about the negotiations date issue, he said on Tuesday that he was just one politician, adding that there were “other politicians and political parties”. On the other hand, VMRO-DPMNE said that early elections had to be held regardless ...

In an interview with Austrian newspaper Die Presse, President Stevo Pendarovski says that he expects an EU decision because Macedonia has delivered on everything over the past 18 months. “We even changed our name after the historic deal with Greece. No candidate country had even done that. Considering the EU says that the membership process is founded on results, we ...

According to the EU’s Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, if the Union doesn’t send a clear signal for a start of membership negotiations with Macedonia and Albania, it risks losing its influence in the Western Balkans (WB). “If, after the two delays, we don’t send a clear signal today or at the Council of the ...

The Public Revenue Office (PRO) has indications that the companies of Bojan Jovanovski, suspect in the Racketeering case, and ones close to him evaded around 330,000 euros in tax. The PRO has found BMJ Media Group, International Alliance and Tomato Production evaded tax. The institution has conducted control at 1TV, too. At International Alliance, which was headed by Jovanovski, it ...

  The conclusions of Finland’s EU Presidency didn’t pass at this night’s meeting of Ambassadors in Luxembourg, Telma TV reported on Monday, citing sources from the Macedonian Government with information about developments at the meetings. This means that France’s proposal to give a date for a start of negotiations with Macedonia and, in the meantime, a change of the methodology ...

Finland’s EU Presidency will propose a start of accession of talks with Macedonia and, in the meantime, adoption of a new methodology for negotiations, on which France is insistent, it’s been found out from sources from the Government. The Inter-Governmental Conference would be held “in the first half of 2020 at the latest”. The new methodology, which will cover all ...

PM Zoran Zaev remains optimistic that Macedonia will get a date to start accession talks. “17 and 18 October will be the final dates. I am an optimist. We have all the arguments in the world to get a date,” he said on Monday. According to the PM, France isn’t against a date for Macedonia, but rather legitimately intends to ...

In a joint open letter, Tomas Petricek, Czech FM, Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian FM, Jacek Czaputowicz, Polish FM, and Miroslav Lajcak, Slovak FM, call for accession talks with Macedonia and Albania. “The decision by the European Union over whether to launch accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania comes at a time the bloc is facing numerous challenges. However, the issues ...

  No progress was made at the Ambassadors’ meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. Paris believes that more time is needed for a reform of the negotiations process for candidate countries and additional proof of the fight against corruption and judicial independence in both Albania and Macedonia. “France constantly brings back to the table the issue of solving the status of ...