site.btaPrime Minister Kovachevski Will Brief EC President about Progress in Relation to Constitutional Changes 

Speaking ahead of an informal meeting hosted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the leaders of the Western Balkans in Athens on Monday, North Macedonia's Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said that he will hold a formal meeting with European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen to brief her about progress in relation with amendments to the Constitution. 

"The process has begun with 73 votes in favour of the constitutional amendments and it became very clear that SDSM and the European coalition back the European integration of North Macedonia, while the opposition once again is blocking North Macedonia’s path to European integration just as it was against the country’s accession to NATO,” said Kovachevski on Sitel TV. 

Kovachevski reiterated that the ruling coalition will make every effort so that the amendments to the Constitution are voted through, which have to enter Bulgarians along with other minorities in the basic law. Asked whether he will resign since the ruling coalition has failed to secure the necessary votes, he said that he will resign on the day the changes to the Constitution are voted through so that elections are scheduled. The second scenario is for VMRO-DPMNE to become part of the government and receive half of the ministerial portfolios, which the SDSM currently have. 

Kovachevski made these proposals already in June at a meeting with VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski. 

"VMRO-DPMNE set the condition for the Democratic Union for Integration to leave the government and their ministers resigned. VMRO-DPMNE will be part of the government. We will complete the whole process, will end monitoring, will open one or two chapters, will close one of them and will go to elections with ministers which are predominantly of VMRO-DPMNE,” said Kovachevski. 

Asked whether there will be an agreement with Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi when Friday’s parliamentary sitting will be resumed to vote through the changes to the Constitution, Kovachevski said that Xhaferi is working on the rules of organization of Parliament.   

"There is room for talks with VMRO-DPMNE and I believe that these talks should be best held in Parliament in order to reach a decision which will be in the interest of the citizens, because they want and deserve to live in an EU member country,” said Kovachevski. 

"We have already been through this process of constitutional changes when acceding to NATO. I am convinced that the Macedonian parliament has the capacity to make a strategic decision in favour of the people,” said Kovachevski.