In the frames of his visit to Brussels, PM Hristijan Mickoski and other Western Balkan leaders participated in Thursday’s working lunch with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The region and Skopje, Mickoski assessed after the event, are tired of being placed aside, as well as of obstacles that are bilateral, not real, accession criteria.
The working lunch focused on the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. On X (formerly Twitter), von der Leyen stated that all six Western Balkan countries belonged in Europe.
“This is what we are working on. In parallel, we are bringing their economies and markets closer to ours with our 6-billion-euro Growth Plan for the region,” she added.
In Brussels, the PM also met with European Council President Charles Michel.
“We discussed the region’s European future and our potentials,” he stated, again stressing that there should be “objective and real criteria” for membership.
In a statement for media, Mickoski also said he had talked to EU leaders about the issue of a country’s achievements paving the way for EU membership instead of bilateral disputes being obstacles.
“We remain focused on proposing solutions. If there truly is a wish, there is then a way, too,” the PM stressed.