site.btaNorth Macedonia’s President Says European Commission Report Reflects Political Rather Than Technical Assessment

The President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska, said that the European Commission’s report on the country’s progress toward EU membership presents technical assessments through a political lens.

“Every report speaks not only about the one being assessed but also about the assessor. In reports concerning our annual progress, the technical dimension is present or dominant, but very often, as in this case, there is also a political dimension. Simply put, the conclusion could be that you may progress technically but remain politically blocked. Sometimes the technical assessment is presented through a political prism. I think this second element is problematic and debatable,” Siljanovska was quoted as saying by North Macedonian media in response to a journalist’s question regarding the European Commission report.

She added that when preparing reports related to EU accession negotiations, “the final version should be the result of dialogue” conducted within institutions such as Parliament, the National Council for European Integration, or the Commission for European Integration.

The European Commission report, presented earlier in November, concluded that North Macedonia’s European integration process is currently at a standstill.