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Skopje – The most important thing for North Macedonia is to make all necessary reforms and to stay on the path of Euro-integration, said the ambassadors of Finland, Sweden, and Austria in Skopje, Niklas Lindqvist, Ami Larson Jain, and Martin Pamer at a panel discussion in the European House dedicated to the benefits of EU membership on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their countries’ accession to the Union.
Regarding the bilateral issue with Bulgaria, Swedish Ambassador Larson Jain believes that it is a decision that should be made by the authorities of North Macedonia, while Austrian Ambassador Pamer stated that this challenge can be overcome by implementing the so-called compromise reached by the EU in 2022 and that there needs to be goodwill to find a solution.
In response to the question that, given that we are praised for the Reform Agenda, but on the other hand we are stuck with the issue with Bulgaria, Lindqvist said that it is important for North Macedonia to continue negotiations with the EU on these matters.
– From my point of view, what is most important is that you can benefit the most from the EU Growth Plan, because I believe that it is precisely through the Growth Plan and the Reform Agenda that the greatest results can be seen as part of the negotiation process with the EU and that through these two things you can show the citizens what the greatest benefits of EU membership are, said Lindqvist.
According to him, it is always very important to have a dialogue with any country and to have an open discussion when we talk about EU membership itself. – In this context, I want to emphasize that your country’s negotiations are conducted with the EU, not with any neighboring country, said Lindqvist.
The Swedish ambassador emphasized that fulfilling the reforms will shorten the negotiation path of the country in the EU, reminding that Sweden has a support program for North Macedonia and over ten million euros are implemented annually, invested in the country in order, as she pointed out, to help it become an EU member as soon as possible, while also allowing this country to progress in implementing reforms.
The Austrian ambassador, in response to the question of whether the country does not start negotiations in the next year or year and a half, whether it will be able to reach the expected date of 2030 for EU membership of the other neighboring countries, and whether Austria is mediating to find a solution to the issue with Bulgaria, said that it is less important to talk about specific dates but rather about greater achievements in the context of the reforms required from the state.
– For a small country like North Macedonia, EU membership is the only path and the only option. The first thing that needs to be emphasized is to implement all necessary reforms in your country, which are not related to just one issue, added Pamer. (April 24, 2025)