Antonio Milosoki: "versoepeling visum beleid moet geen alternatief voor start toetredingsonderhandelingen zijn" (en)

"Visa liberalisation must not be a substitute for the start of accession negotiations. It is an instrument for further integration; it is not a goal in itself", Foreign Affairs Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Antonio Milososki told MEPs on Tuesday.

The dispute between Skopje and Athens over the country’s name and the need or otherwise to fix a date for the start of accession negotiations were the key issues in Mr Milososki's meeting with Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs.

"I have come to ask for your support as we complete the next stage on our way to the European Union - opening accession negotiations", Mr Milososki told MEPs, adding that "we do have the negotiation capacities and we stand ready to employ them in case the negotiations are opened in 2010".

In its annual progress report, published in mid-October 2009, the European Commission said that FYROM “sufficiently fulfils the political criteria set by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993”. FYROM has been an EU candidate since December 2005.

MEPs acknowledged FYROM's progress on the road to EU membership, but insisted that it must do more to fight corruption, reform the public administration and judiciary and improve inter-ethnic relations.

Visa liberalisation

"Despite the great practical significance of visa liberalisation for the further integration of the country in the Union, visa liberalisation must not be a substitute for start of accession negotiations. It is an instrument for further integration; it is not a goal in itself", Mr Milososki told MEPs.

The European Parliament is expected to endorse the Balkans visa liberalisation report by Tanja Fajon (S&D, SL) on Thursday. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro will be granted visa-free travel to the EU as from 2010.

Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina should be added to the list of visa-free countries (annex II of the proposal), albeit with a footnote stating that the visa exemption would take effect only after an assessment by the Commission that the country in question meets all the benchmarks and in accordance with the procedures as provided by the Treaty. Both provisionally remain in annex I (countries whose citizens require a visa).

Closer ties with Kosovo are in the pipeline, said Mr Milososki, informing MEPs that FYROM intended to step up its diplomatic relations with Pristina, with the view to appointing an ambassador in the near future.

Dispute over the country’s name

A lot of the discussion revolved around the dispute between Skopje and Athens over the country's name.

"The window of opportunity following the recent Greek elections should be used and negotiations for a mutually agreed solution on the name issue should resume as soon as possible" said Zoran Thaler (S&D, Slovenia), EP rapporteur for FYROM. Parliament is expected to vote on its FYROM resolution at the beginning of 2010.

"We are fully prepared for a direct communication with the new Greek government", Mr Milososki told Ignacio Salafranca (EPP, ES).

Answering a question from Cristian Dan Preda (EPP, RO), Mr Milososki said that "getting a date for the start of EU accession negotiations will for sure improve confidence in both Athens and Skopje".

Eduard Kukan (EPP, SK), Chair of the Delegation with the Western Balkans, believed that "the new Greek government will be a good partner in this debate. As we say, it usually takes "two to tango". I think that in this case, FYROM could take a lead in the process.

Mr Milososki also announced the opening of a new cross-border checkpoint between FYROM and Greece.

10/11/2009

In the chair : Gabriele ALBERTINI (EPP, IT)

Committee on Foreign Affairs