[autom.vertaling] " Macedonië behoort tot Europe" zegt FYROM Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Ilinka Mitreva (en)

Ten days ago, the European Commission adopted an opinion recommending that the Council grant official candidate country status to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM). Today, the foreign affairs committee of the Parliament hosted the foreign minister of fYRoM, discussing the country's prospects for EU accession. Ilinka Mitreva welcomed the opinion, saying that fYRoM's "European perspective is now becoming a European reality."

Ms Mitreva emphasised the progress that her country had made towards EU accession in the past several years. She reminded members that the EU's PROXIMA police mission would end this December, and said that stability was "no longer an issue" in fYRoM. She stated "respect for human and minority rights is a trademark of my country," and expressed her hope that "this December, the Council will grant fYRoM the merited status of 'candidate country'."

The foreign minister invited the EU to be "rigorous in its criteria as well as just in its evaluation of candidates". She also appealed to MEPs to engage in the issue of visa liberalisation. Ms Mitreva deplored the fact that many young Macedonians are denied the opportunity to get a taste of European culture because of strict travel restrictions for Macedonian nationals. She urged the Parliament to exert pressure on the Commission and Council to rectify the situation as promptly as possible.

MEPs broadly supported fYRoM's prompt candidate status, and congratulated Ms Mitreva on her country's rapid progress. István SZENT-IVANYI (ALDE, HU) noted that the Parliament "has flirted with fYRoM, but now we're engaged, and it's time to set a wedding date." Other MEPs asked specific questions about fYRoM's preparedness for EU accession. Erik MEIJER (GUE/NGL, NL) questioned the foreign minister about her country's relationship with the United States, while Hannes SWOBODA (PES, AT) wanted to know about fYRoM's efforts in fighting cross-border crime in the region.

Jan Marinus WIERSMA (PES, NL) inquired about the state of negotiations with Greece on fYRoM's official name. fYRoM is called 'Macedonia' in the country's constitution, whereas Greece maintains that this is a name of a region in its own territory. The EU has not recognised the name 'Macedonia' since the country's independence in 1991. Ms. Mitreva replied that her government is committed to finding a solution to this problem through negotiations involving the UN Secretary General, but added that the settlement of this issue has not been mentioned as a political criterion for the country's membership of the European Union.