EU and US Extend Greetings over Adoption of French Proposal in Skopje

President of the Council of Europe Charles Michel and of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen extended greetings to official Skopje via Twitter upon the adoption of the French proposal by the Parliament and the Government of North Macedonia. “Today’s vote in the Parliament of North Macedonia paves the way to holding intergovernmental conference with North Macedonia next week. A crucial step for North Macedonia and for EU. Our future is together and we welcome you with open arms,” Michel wrote. “Congratulations to North Macedonia on the vote that now paves the way for opening the accession negotiations rapidly. It was a historic opportunity. And you seized it. A big step on your path towards a European future. Your future,” Von der Leyen wrote. European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi also extended his greetings via Twitter. “I welcome the result of today’s vote after last days of deliberate discussions in Parliament giving clear mandate for Gov’t to start 1st IGC based on FR proposal. We look forward to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia. North Macedonia belongs to the EU,” Varhelyi wrote. Tweets with greetings towards North Macedonia were also extended by EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Rapporteur for North Macedonia in the European Parliament, MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk. Greetings were also extended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “We recognise the difficult trade-offs considered in this compromise, which acknowledges and respects North Macedonia’s cultural identity and the Macedonian language. The decision comes at a critical moment for North Macedonia, the Western Balkans and Europe. A European Union that includes all of the Western Balkans, including Albania and North Macedonia, will be stronger and more prosperous. Now is the time to build momentum and work on next steps,” Blinken said. Greetings were also extended by French President Emanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and by Bundestag Member and former German Foreign Minister Michael Roth.