No E.U. for them irrespectively of the name issue.

[Petros Houhoulis]

Well, it seems that the Irish vote has deadlocked any hopes of expansion of the E.U. even for Croatia that does not face problems. Therefore... They have nothing to hope for...

[Tsontos]

They have NATO to hope for. All the recent Eastern enlargements have been proceeded by NATO accession has ever joined the EU without joining NATO beforehand. I doubt enlargement will be put on hold for too long anyway. Enlargement is all but complete.

[Petros Houhoulis]

Originally Posted by Tsontos

They have NATO to hope for. No country has ever joined the EU without joining NATO beforehand. I doubt enlargement will be put on hold for too long anyway. Enlargement is all but complete.

Nope, Greece can veto in NATO indefinately just as Turkey is vetoing Cyprus in NATO indefinately...

[Tsontos]

Petros we can veto them indefinately in the EU as well. I assumed you were talking about a situation where they had compromised with Greece.

[Paulos Melas]

By the way Ireland, Austria and sweden are NOT NATO members but still are members of EU. So NATO and EU are two unrelated groups.

[Ariadni_Nefeli]

Originally Posted by Paulos Melas

By the way Ireland, Austria and sweden are NOT NATO members but still are members of EU. So NATO and EU are two unrelated groups.

That's a good remark, I was wondering for that.

[Tsontos]

Originally Posted by Paulos Melas

By the way Ireland, Austria and sweden are NOT NATO members but still are members of EU. So NATO and EU are two unrelated groups.

They are far from unrelated. Olli Rehn, the EU Commissioner for enlargement felt the need to speak out during the NATO summit. NATO leaders, when telling FYROM that solving the name dispute was a pre-requisite for accession also said the same about their EU hopes.

According to Perry Anderson, NATO and EU membership, since the fall of communism, have been closely interelated in Eastern Europe with the Americans/ NATO always initiating enlargement prior to EU accession:

Expansion to the East was piloted by Washington: in every case the former Soviet satellites were incorporated to NATO, under US command, before they were admitted to the EU. Poland and the Czech Republic had joined NATO in 1999, five years before they were admitted to the EU; Bulgaria and Romania in 2004, three years before entry; even Slovakia, Slovenia, a gratuitous month before EU accession.

Perry Anderson, 'Depicting Europe,' London Review of Books, 20 September 2007, p.19


FYROM's EU and NATO aspirations are closely tied together and Greece is in a solid position to block her until she compromises.

[Petros Houhoulis]

Originally Posted by Tsontos

Petros we can veto them indefinately in the EU as well. I assumed you were talking about a situation where they had compromised with Greece.

Do you believe that there is going to be a compromise anytime soon?

Of course there can be a compromise, but not with the current names on the table...

[Tsontos]

If not with Gruevski then after he loses power. By then the EU deepening-widening debate will be gone again.

[Petros Houhoulis]

Originally Posted by Tsontos

If not with Gruevski then after he loses power. By then the EU deepening-widening debate will be gone again.

That's gonna be in four years from now...