Truth Bearer
11-07-2007, 04:42 AM
Skopje_ Macedonia’s government and opposition have differed strongly in their reactions to the European Commission’s annual progress report on their country which was published Tuesday.
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski described the report as “well-balanced”, and blamed the opposition for the negative references in it.
"What depended only on the government - the economy and the fight against corruption - has been relatively positively assessed in the report", Gruevski told media on Tuesday.
“But there are things that do not depend completely on us, but also on the opposition and other factors in the state, and in this part there are mainly some weaknesses”, he added.
For the opposition, the fact that the report does not recommend a starting date for EU accession talks, renders the Commission’s report negative.
Macedonia has been awaiting the opening of accession negotiations since it became a formal candidate for EU membership in December 2005.
Jani Makraduli, vice-president of the main opposition Social Democrats, blamed the government’s arrogance for Skopje’s failure to secure a starting date.
“Gruevski's government is responsible for the poor report because they [the government] did not either listen or talk to us”, he said.
Rafiz Aliti, a deputy from the largest Albanian opposition party, the Democratic Union for Integration, shared his opinion.
“The government is to blame because they had all the necessary mechanisms in their hands”, Aliti said.
The only issue on which the opposition agreed with the government is that the report reflects the objective state of affairs in the country over the past 12 months.
“A strong political will is needed now from all parties in order to speed up political reforms”, the EU ambassador in Macedonia, Erwan Fouere, told media on Tuesday.
He noted that the trading of accusations and quarrels had in the past brought Macedonia’s political progress almost to a halt.
“We cannot deny that time has been lost”, Fouere said with reference to the continuing delay in the setting of a starting date for accession talks.
The Commission’s latest report is regarded as broadly positive about Macedonia’s economic progress and about the fight against corruption, but it criticises the slow pace of reforms as result of a lack of political dialogue.
Copyright BIRN 2007
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski described the report as “well-balanced”, and blamed the opposition for the negative references in it.
"What depended only on the government - the economy and the fight against corruption - has been relatively positively assessed in the report", Gruevski told media on Tuesday.
“But there are things that do not depend completely on us, but also on the opposition and other factors in the state, and in this part there are mainly some weaknesses”, he added.
For the opposition, the fact that the report does not recommend a starting date for EU accession talks, renders the Commission’s report negative.
Macedonia has been awaiting the opening of accession negotiations since it became a formal candidate for EU membership in December 2005.
Jani Makraduli, vice-president of the main opposition Social Democrats, blamed the government’s arrogance for Skopje’s failure to secure a starting date.
“Gruevski's government is responsible for the poor report because they [the government] did not either listen or talk to us”, he said.
Rafiz Aliti, a deputy from the largest Albanian opposition party, the Democratic Union for Integration, shared his opinion.
“The government is to blame because they had all the necessary mechanisms in their hands”, Aliti said.
The only issue on which the opposition agreed with the government is that the report reflects the objective state of affairs in the country over the past 12 months.
“A strong political will is needed now from all parties in order to speed up political reforms”, the EU ambassador in Macedonia, Erwan Fouere, told media on Tuesday.
He noted that the trading of accusations and quarrels had in the past brought Macedonia’s political progress almost to a halt.
“We cannot deny that time has been lost”, Fouere said with reference to the continuing delay in the setting of a starting date for accession talks.
The Commission’s latest report is regarded as broadly positive about Macedonia’s economic progress and about the fight against corruption, but it criticises the slow pace of reforms as result of a lack of political dialogue.
Copyright BIRN 2007