site.btaNorth Macedonia's Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski: French Proposal Unpredictable, Risky for European Integration

North Macedonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timco Mucunski said the French proposal, which forms the basis of North Macedonia's negotiating framework with the EU and includes a condition to amend the constitution to include Bulgarians, lacks predictability and will create risks to the EU integration process.

"We seek guarantees primarily through the institutions of the European Union. We believe that, in addition to implementing the constitutional changes with delayed effect, the application of the decisions  of the European Court of Human Rights and the creation of a system between our country and European institutions can be a fair way forward," Mucunski said in an interview for the 360 Degrees programme on MRT.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski announced that during his visit to Brussels on September 19, he would present a "French proposal plus" and a plan to unblock the country's EU integration. On this occasion, Mucunski explained that "this primarily concerns stopping the bilateralization of the country's EU integration path."

"The Prime Minister of North Macedonia used the phrase 'bilateralization of the EU integration process' to show that some member states are bringing historical and bilateral issues into the negotiations, instead of focusing on reforms and building institutional capacity," noted Radio Lider.

"This does not mean that a member state cannot block us on the grounds of reforms in public finance or due to a lack of reforms in the rule of law, but that these bilateral demands will stop," Mucunski said.

The Foreign Minister believes this can be achieved through the EU institutions if the EU is seriously committed to North Macedonia and the region.

"If the member states have a will, they can find a way to deal with a country which causes a problem if it concerns a strategic issue. The main question is whether the EU is serious about expanding to the Western Balkans, and I believe it is," Mucunski said.