The draft-amendments for changes to the Constitution of Macedonia in accordance with the Prespa Agreement between Macedonia and Greece were officially delivered to the Parliament of Macedonia on Monday. The amendments include the notices from the independent MP group of VMRO-DPMNE of 8 MPs that previously supported the necessity of these amendments. The Amendment XXXIII will replace the words “(Republic ...

The Greek Alternative Foreign Minister Georgios Katrougalos commented on the ongoing processes for constitutional changes in Macedonia in an interview for Greek web portal “News 247”. “A very good framework of communications with the other side has been renewed. I have no doubt that our neighbours and we will completely implement the Prespa Agreement. I have no doubts that the ...

The four draft amendments in the constitutional changes procedure passed the filters at both the Constitutional Issues and Legislative Committees. The debate at both bodies was simultaneous and lasted five days instead of the envisaged 12. Now, the draft amendments need to be determined at a plenary session, which will require a simple majority of 61 votes. The draft amendments ...

The Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Issues started on Wednesday the debate on the four draft amendments to the Constitution that will last a maximum of 12 days. PM Zoran Zaev presented the four draft amendments and said they were the price that Macedonia should pay for the Euro-integration process. According to him, the fact that they will apply once Greece ...

ASNOM will remain in the Preamble of the Constitution and will be mentioned twice instead of once. “ASNOM’s Proclamation remains with all made decisions,” Government spokesperson Mile Bosnjakovski said at a press-conference on Wednesday, describing information on social media about the issue as false. Regarding Amendment 35, changes that will be made to Article 3 are a guarantee that Macedonia’s ...

The EU’s Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, said on Wednesday he had held a useful talk in Helsinki with VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski. “I was crystal-clear that ratification of the Prespa Agreement must now be finalised fast, without any obstacle. I welcome his commitment not to obstruct procedure in Parliament,” he tweeted. As Hahn added ...

Greek opposition party New Democracy is dissatisfied with the Macedonian Government’s amendments. “PM Zoran Zaev’s proposal for the neighbouring country’s revision of the Constitution makes the already bad Prespa Agreement worse. It keeps Article 36, which not only maintains irredentism, but also encourages it. Also, it confirms Skopje’s insistence on existence of an alleged ‘Macedonian nation’. Though the Government claims ...

In an interview for newspaper “Real News”, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece Giorgos Katrougalos says that the Greek Parliament shall ratify with no doubt the Prespa Agreement on the resolution of the name issue with Macedonia. “The voting in the Parliament in Skopje represents an especially positive development which proves that the Prespa Agreement holds on to ...

During a speech at an event organised by the Commander of the Greek Army’s Third Corps Dimitrios Bikos, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos referred the name issue between Greece and Macedonia, and the recently signed Prespa Agreement. “We strive for cordial and good neighbourly ties and in practice, we have been demonstrating that we support membership into NATO and the EU, ...

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev held Thursday a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who expressed support and congratulated on the success achieved in implementing the Prespa Agreement. Stoltenberg welcomed the courageous, grand and statesmanlike decision of the MPs, telling PM Zaev that NATO was pleased Macedonia was moving ahead, the government said in a press release. The NATO ...