| Author (Person) | Alosi, Alessandra |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Cardiff EDC |
| Series Details | May 2018 |
| Publication Date | 31/05/2018 |
| Content Type | News |
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Summary: At the EU-Western Balkans summit, 17 May 2018, the PM of Greece Alexis Tsipras and the Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev met in order to try to settle a decades-long issue about the name of Macedonia. Further information: Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who hosted the summit, hinted that there had been real progress in the Greece-Macedonia talks but said that both leaders would make announcements in their capitals, not abroad, when the time came. If they managed to iron out the last details, the two countries could strike a final deal before the European Council, 28-29 June 2018, when the European Commission could recommend to start accession talks with Macedonia. The issue of the name of Macedonia had been going on for decades and during the previous months there have been new rounds of official and unofficial negotiations due to the Macedonian authorities' willingness to solve the issue. Greece considered the country's name represented a territorial claim over its northern province, also named Macedonia. Years of UN-mediated talks and pressure from the European Union achieved no progress. The dispute had been active ever since FYR Macedonia became an independent country, blocking Macedonia’s progress towards NATO and EU membership. |
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| Countries / Regions | Greece, North Macedonia |
