Gordana Siljanovska‑Davkova in Brussels: North Macedonia seeks equal treatment in EU accession process
President urged substantive EU–candidate dialogue, predictable steps based on reforms and creative solutions to bypass political blockages.
North Macedonia expects to be treated on the same terms as other EU candidate countries and to see progress judged by the same rules, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova said during a visit to Brussels for an EU enlargement summit.
Call for substantive dialogue and predictable steps
Speaking at the summit, Siljanovska-Davkova urged a substantive dialogue between the European Union and candidate states in which both sides can present their arguments. She argued that political will should not be requested only from candidate countries, but must also come from the Union, including through creative solutions to overcome long-standing standstills.
Referring to domestic reforms, the president said North Macedonia has capacities to move forward on rule of law, the judiciary and anti-corruption, but their implementation requires internal political determination and encouragement from the EU. She called for technical preparedness and completed reforms to receive proper recognition so that the country’s European perspective becomes a predictable process with clear steps and measurable results.
Siljanovska-Davkova recalled the 1992 Badinter Commission opinion and asked why, more than three decades later, Slovenia is an EU member while North Macedonia still awaits full European perspective. "According to her, after more than three decades, the question why Slovenia is a member of the European Union, while North Macedonia is still awaiting its European perspective, points to an absence of political will among certain neighbours," she said, stressing that such omissions hinder progress.
As practical instruments to revive the process, the president proposed gradual integration measures such as access to the single market, committee mechanisms, digitalisation and other European policies that could advance approximation even amid bilateral blockages by member states.
During the Brussels visit Siljanovska-Davkova held talks with Gert Jan Koopman, Director‑General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, to review operational and technical aspects of the accession process and possible mechanisms to accelerate integration. She is also scheduled to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Allied Commanders at SHAPE in Mons, and to hold further meetings with representatives of European institutions.
Photo: Fejsbuk
