The European Commission welcomed the adoption of the Law on Amnesty for the Incidents that occurred in the Parliament of Macedonia on 27 April 2017. In a written statement, the Spokesperson of the EC Maja Kocijancic estimates the law as an opportunity for reconciliation on all levels of the Macedonian society. “This decision of the Parliament is an important step ...

The European Commission (EC) shares the stand of the EU’s Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, that Hungary’s decision to grant asylum to former PM Nikola Gruevski warrants further explanations from the Hungarian authorities. Spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said on Thursday that there was no running away from the rule of law. As he added, the asylum ...

The European Commission and Macedonia in Brussels on Wednesday initialled an agreement for cooperation of border police – known as Frontex 2 – after months of negotiations. Once in force, the agreement will allow the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) to carry out joint operations with and within Macedonia. Frontex 2 aims at reinforcing the EU’s external borders ...

The 14th meeting of EU-Macedonia Stabilisation and Association Council, chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, was held Friday in Brussels. The meeting was also attended by Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn as the European Commission representative, while Macedonia’s delegation, led by Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, also included the Vice-Premier for European Affairs, Bujar Osmani. ...

The EU Council’s decision on delayed start of Macedonia’s EU accession talks is ‘rather positive’, as the European Commission is to start the preparations to that effect by the end of July, which means the country will be ready for negations, Director for Western Balkans Genoveva Ruiz Calavera at the EC tells media. “We are launching the preparations now, so ...

Тhe Minister of Foreign Affairs of Macedonia started his official visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday. “The European Parliament is drafting a resolution on Macedonia that is to be discussed in August. We are finally opening the doors of Europe. I am here to seek for EP’s support, an institution that has produced principled support for our ...

Following the General Affairs Council’s conclusions on Tuesday for a conditional start of negotiations with Macedonia and Albania, the preparations for those talks will start, according to the EC. As spokesperson Margaritis Schinas stated on Wednesday, the EC is now starting the work on preparations and, as the Council’s conclusions say, will continue to support tangible and sustainable results, especially ...

“In our opinion, as long as the European Commission started and set a horizon this summer to launch formal negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, we will have to deliver the promise we made,” Greek FM Nikos Kotzias says in an interview with EURACTIV. He urges “all sides to understand that there are indeed problems with these countries; we have ...