European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, left, shakes hands with North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, after their joint news conference at the government building in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks during a news conference with North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski at the government building in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski speaks during a news conference with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, after their meeting at the government building in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, left, is welcomed by North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, right, upon the arrival at the government building in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, left, attends a news conference with North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, following their talks at the government building in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
EU presses North Macedonia to make ‘era-defining’ decisions for membership
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) 鈥 The European Union鈥檚 top foreign policy official on Friday urged North Macedonia to take 鈥渆ra-defining鈥 decisions to advance its bid for EU membership.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, left, shakes hands with North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, after their joint news conference at the government building in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) 鈥 The European Union鈥檚 top foreign policy official on Friday urged North Macedonia to take 鈥渆ra-defining鈥 decisions to advance its bid for EU membership.
Speaking in the capital Skopje alongside Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reaffirmed the bloc鈥檚 support but stressed that progress depends on multiple domestic reforms.
鈥淭he road to membership is not easy, so my message today is to stay on the course and to take next steps necessary towards the opening of the negotiations,” Kallas said. 鈥淣orth Macedonia faces era-defining choices for its citizens and its future.鈥
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Key among those steps is a constitutional amendment to formally recognize a Bulgarian minority 鈥 a condition set by EU neighbor Bulgaria to lift its veto of North Macedonian membership. The issue has become a political flashpoint in North Macedonia, where the conservative government insists that EU accession should not be affected by bilateral disputes.
Although the European Union has not accepted any new members since Croatia’s accession in 2013, the war in Ukraine and concerns for broader European stability have refocused efforts to advance membership bids.
鈥淭he integration of the Western Balkans into the EU is the best recipe for peace and security,鈥 Kallas said. 鈥淲e are ready to support North Macedonia in strengthening the rule of law, fighting corruption, and modernizing public administration.鈥
North Macedonia and Albania began membership talks with the EU in 2022 after years of delays, largely driven by Bulgaria鈥檚 veto over cultural and historical disagreements with Skopje. Albania has since moved ahead in the process.
Mickoski reiterated his position that Bulgaria must first approve North Macedonia鈥檚 membership before any constitutional change.
鈥淲e belong in the EU not because someone owes it to us, but because we鈥檝e built a democracy based on European values,鈥 the prime minister. 鈥淲e expect fair treatment and consistent leadership from the Union.鈥
Kallas鈥 visit to Skopje was part of a broader two-day tour of the Western Balkans. Six regional countries are at various stages of EU accession. Montenegro and Albania lead the process, while Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, and North Macedonia lag behind.
