Every day that the constitutional changes, which are a condition for a true start of negotiations on North Macedonia's EU accession, are delayed is a day lost for the coming generations' European future, the largest ethnic Albanian party in North Macedonia, the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), said reacting to the decoupling of Skopje and Tirana on their path to EU accession.
The Ambassadors of EU Member States made an unanimous decision on Wednesday to decouple Albania’s EU accession path from North Macedonia’s and to formally open the first clusters of negotiations with Albania on October 15. The two Western Balkan countries’ path to EU membership was coupled with the start of negotiations formally launched in the summer of 2022. However, due to disputes between Skopje and Bulgaria, the actual opening of chapters has been held up. The disputes include Skopje's failure to include ethnic Bulgarians in North Macedonia in the country's Constitution.
The DUI's message says the country is facing "a painful moment that evokes deep feelings of disappointment and resentment in every citizen who dreamed of a European future".
"Due to the failure of this government to implement constitutional changes, today North Macedonia is separated from Albania on its way to the European Union. This decision is the direct result of a political failure, but above all it is a grave injustice for every citizen of North Macedonia who sees Europe not only as a political goal, but also as a deep social and cultural aspiration. We are no longer on a common path with Albania and this is a blow to the regional unity and stability we have defended for so long", DUI's statement reads.
The party, from whose ranks former foreign minister Bujar Osmani was nominated, recalled that it had repeatedly warned "that this failure will have serious consequences".
"Any failure to adopt the constitutional changes is a step away from the European family and a step closer to isolation, division and stagnation. Our words today are not just criticism. They are an open call to every citizen of this country who wants Europe and believes in its values: this is the moment to send a joint strong message for action without further delay. Every delay, every failure, only widens the gap between us and the European Union. History will judge us for this moment and we will not allow North Macedonia to remain outside Europe because of momentary political failures", DUI's position reads.
/RY/
