Commission positive on Macedonia’s EU bid

Date: 03/11/05

The Commission is to give next Wednesday (9 November) a largely positive assessment of Macedonia's readiness to start membership talks with the EU.

Following the country's application in March last year to join the EU, the Commission's opinion will set a largely positive tone for discussions in December when heads of state and governmental are expected to take the final decision on whether or not to open accession talks with Macedonia.

But the Commission's report is expected to mention reform of the judiciary, the application of rule of law, as well as reforms of the telecoms sector and the tax system as areas where more progress is needed before Macedonia can get closer to the EU.

According to a recent survey for the Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, 90% of Macedonians want to see their country join the EU.

But Macedonia is likely to face questions from at least one member state, Greece.

This week Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis warned that EU membership could be affected by moves to change officially the country's name to Macedonia.

Under an international agreement the country has been known internationally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) since it joined the UN in 1993.

"An accession process to join the EU can only exist under two circumstances; either after a mutually acceptable solution or under the FYROM name," Karamanlis said, according to Greek daily Kathimerini.

Athens reacted angrily to a US decision earlier this year to refer to the country officially as the Republic of Macedonia.

Article anticipates a report, to be adopted by the European Commission on 9 November 2005, giving a largely positive assessment of Macedonia's readiness to start membership talks with the EU. The country had lodged an application in March 2004 to join the EU.

European Commission: DG Enlargement: Relations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/countries/detailed-country-information/fyrom/index_en.htm

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