Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-03-14-Speech-3-052-000"
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"en.20120314.5.3-052-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner Füle, honourable Members, I would like to start by congratulating Mr Howitt on the extensive and sterling work that he has done on this issue. I would also like to definitively state that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has taken a number of positive steps forward over recent years. The country has demonstrated political will and produced tangible results which have helped to ensure sound democratic and economic development, particularly since the elections last year. I am convinced that these efforts will continue throughout the remainder of 2012.
Progress has been made in a number of different areas, for example, the reform of parliament, which took place at the same time as progress was evident in connection with the parliamentary elections held on 5 June 2011. I am pleased that a dialogue has now been initiated concerning the outstanding issues relating to freedom of expression in the media. In a democratic society, it is crucial that there is diversity in the media landscape. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has also made progress in respect of judicial reforms. It is good that steps have been taken to increase the judicial system’s independence and improve its efficiency. There is no doubt that a well-functioning and independent judicial authority will be crucial for meeting the EU’s criteria. However, it is worth mentioning that the independence of the judicial system and professional access to it, for example, are still in need of improvement.
With regard to the fight against corruption, there have been adjustments to the legal framework. However, corruption continues to be a serious problem for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The public administration framework has been improved, but challenges still remain in relation to ensuring that recruitment is based on merit to a much greater degree than it has been up to now. The country has also made progress in the area of cultural rights and the rights of minorities, and the 10th anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement thus provided a good opportunity for increased dialogue between the various population groups in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was granted candidate status in 2005 and the country has unremittingly carried out reforms with a view to making further progress. The EU has held out the prospect of EU membership for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and that is an obligation that the EU must fulfil. I understand those Members who, in the debate today, have expressed their disappointment at the fact that we have still not succeeded in taking the decision to initiate accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. At the same time, it is also clear that it is the responsibility of a country which, in the long term, wishes to attain membership of the EU to maintain a constructive dialogue with its neighbouring countries. The name issue is a bilateral one, which ought to be resolved in a way that is acceptable to both parties. That is important in terms of it being possible to achieve agreement concerning the initiation of accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. I sincerely hope that we will see progress in this area in the near future, and I would like to wish Commissioner Füle luck with the forthcoming talks. The future of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is in Europe. Let us take the right steps to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible."@en1
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