Venko Filipche: While we wait for EU guarantees, North Macedonia is not mentioned in enlargement plans
Filipche told a French Senate delegation that Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine were named by von der Leyen, while Skopje was not; he also called for clarity over a €1 billion Hungarian loan.
Venko Filipche warned on Friday that North Macedonia has been left out of recent European Commission signals about which countries may advance toward EU membership before the end of the current Commission’s mandate, and he urged Skopje to secure guarantees that it will not face new blockages on its accession path.
Speaking as leader of SDSM and as president of the National Council for European Integrations during a meeting with a delegation from the Senate of the French Republic, Filipche said Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine were named by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as countries with a visible path to membership — while North Macedonia was not.
“While other countries are progressing toward the European Union, Macedonia remains without visible results from the government's promises to secure a better negotiating position,” he said.
Questions over a €1 billion Hungarian loan
Filipche also raised questions about a €1 billion loan that North Macedonia received via Hungary. He said that from early on there were reports the funds had Chinese origin, that it is unclear where the money ended up and for what projects it was spent, despite initial announcements that the loan would fund local projects.
“We as the opposition in the last two years have strongly reacted to a loan that this government took years ago from Hungary, for which the information even then was that it was money of Chinese origin; it concerns one billion euros, money we really do not know where it is now in the budget, for what exactly it was spent. Apparently, although it was announced for some local projects, even the new Hungarian government announced an investigation into the loan,” he said, referring to an inquiry opened by Hungarian authorities.
Filipche warned that large infrastructure loans and opaque procurement create risks of corruption and open the door to foreign influence. He noted that European Commission documents for 2026 flag such loans as a major risk and called for full alignment with EU rules on public procurement and transparency, especially regarding bilateral credits.
He added that SDSM remains committed to the country’s EU path and emphasized North Macedonia’s traditional ties with France, saying he expects continued French support.
Photo: SDSM
