EU tells Macedonian politicians to drag country out of crisis

10-02-2017

EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said there was "no time to waste" in installing a new government. [European Commission]

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn yesterday (9 February) urged political parties in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to reach a swift agreement on the formation of a new government.

The turmoil, which was triggered by a surveillance scandal in 2015, has threatened to destabilise a country that hopes to join NATO and is among several candidates to join the EU.

Neither the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party nor the Social Democrats (SDSM) emerged from a December election with a big enough majority to form a government without the support of ethnic Albanians.

In late January, coalition talks between the VMRO-DPMNE, which won the largest share of votes in the election, and the ethnic Albanian DUI party collapsed. The Social Democrats say they should now be given a chance.

Crisis drags on as Macedonia fails to form government

Macedonia’s president on Monday (30 January) resumed the search for a new prime minister after the former premier failed to form a government, despite his party’s narrow election victory.

“The earlier there is a government in place the better it is,” Hahn told reporters in the capital, Skopje. “There is no further time to waste.”

Hahn said it was “important that the new government is built on a solid basis”, ahead of further meetings with top political leaders.

The crisis is FYROM’s worst since Western diplomacy hauled the country from the brink of civil war during an ethnic Albanian insurgency in 2001, promising it a path to membership of the EU and NATO.

Both have stalled because of a dispute with neighbouring Greece over the name ‘Macedonia’.

In their negotiations with the VMRO-DPMNE, the DUI party sought the recognition of Albanian as FYROM’s second official language.

Tajani infuriates Greece with ‘Macedonia’ comment

Greek politicians reacted strongly to a video published yesterday (25 January) showing the newly elected President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, calling the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia “Macedonia.” EURACTIV Greece reports.

They also demanded an extension to the mandate of a special prosecutor investigating allegations of government corruption, vote rigging and abuse of power during the VMRO-DPMNE’s decade in power between 2006 and 2016.

Last week VMRO-DPMNE called for fresh elections.

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Comments

4 responses to “EU tells Macedonian politicians to drag country out of crisis”

Michael Danias says:

11/02/2017 at 04:13

the quicker they give the Albanians what they want with their official language demands the better off this so called country will be. The social democrats should form a coalition with the Albanian parties and rid them of the irredentist and corrupt VMRO-DPMNE party. Name change should be demanded by the EU and Slavic culture should be promoted again. “We are Macedonians but we are Slav Macedonians. That’s who we are! We have no connection to Alexander the Great and his Macedonia. The ancient Macedonians no longer exist, they had disappeared from history long time ago. Our ancestors came here in the 5th and 6th century (AD).” Kiro Gligorov – the first president elect of Fyrom

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- dkanelogiannis says:
  
  11/02/2017 at 09:10
  
  Unfortunatelly no one seems to actively promote historical facts about origin, language and culture. Any official comments on this matter are tragically aligned with geopolitical and regional interests of the governing foreign powers that never benefit the people or solve any problems.
  
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Michael Danias says:

13/02/2017 at 02:23

First and foremost Macedonian language does not exist. Its Bulgarian. If you put a Bulgarian and a Slavic Macedonian in a room together they will communicate perfectly. It’s like a US born person speaking to a Canadian born person. They are both speaking English. So lets not beat around the bush. Its Bulgarian that they speak.
Secondly and just as important is that all Slavic Macedonians are Slavs. no ifs or buts. If they were all to undergo DNA tests they would test positive as Slavs. They are not related to ancient Macedonians who were Greek. They are not related to Alexander the great who was Greek. they are related to Goce Delčev who was a Bulgarian Slav. they are not related to mother Teresa who was an Albanian. cultural theft is what FYROM is built on. They grab everything close at hand as their own. The brainwashing by the VMRO-DPMNE of its citizens in the last decade is alarming. Cheap Italian reproduction statues of ancient persons adorn their capital. Millions of dollars spent creating a false history whilst the country languishes in financial peril. They even had the audacity to name their airport in the capital after an ancient figure that they are completely distant from. The Albanian minority will have their official language. The conservatives will continue to let the Slavic and Albanian populations of Fyrom down with a lack of morality, truth and transparency. Phone tapping and corruption are now visible. Cultural lies have been exposed. They will change their name for they have no choice . There are many options. They cannot possibly believe that they can take on the intellectual world with their stupidity. Our closest relatives, the Albanians (proud ancient illyrian people) will always act as a control mechanism in Fyrom. They have a higher birthrate than the slavic population. They have a far more radical irredentist ideology when it comes to Greater Albania than the Slavic Macedonians. If it can happen in Kosovo then it most certainly can happen in Fyrom. EU membership will never be an option. Greeks being a proud people of antiquity are offended. We will never entertain the stupidity of Fyrom. We are educated people that don’t have to question their origin. Its a continuum of the past. All they have to do is drop the cultural connection and their country will thrive. They are so dogmatic via ignorance that they are making life difficult for themselves. Elections, pollution, recognition, economic growth. It all stems from one thing – they are a basket case. Self inflicted pain which could have been avoidable if they just learnt their history.

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13/02/2017 at 06:09

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EU tells Macedonian politicians to drag country out of crisis

Crisis drags on as Macedonia fails to form government

Tajani infuriates Greece with ‘Macedonia’ comment

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