Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-04-08-Speech-2-263"
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".
Today, Macedonia has returned to peace and we are more determined than ever to make up for lost time. Progress in implementing the Framework Agreement is steady. We recently signed a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund. The Republic of Macedonia was, of course, the first country in the region to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union.
It is my conviction that the momentum created in the last two years, and which has allowed my country to move from armed conflict to renewed progress on the road to European integration must not be lost. The Republic of Macedonia is taking part in the development of a common European security and defence policy. The SOFA Agreement of the EU forces has been unanimously adopted by the Assembly, which clearly reflects the trust of European defence and security capabilities. This European mission must be a success, and it will be a success. This is important, and not only to those who want to see the European Union play an active role beyond its borders.
I have stressed how much progress has been made recently – bringing hostilities to an end, strengthening the rule of law, implementing the Framework Agreement – and how important the role of the European Union was in this effort. It would be a mistake, however, to become complacent and overlook just how much remains to be done to move not only Macedonia but the whole region towards a point where a return to instability becomes inconceivable.
Let me now turn to the challenges of the present and of the near future. Let me stress what efforts we – the elected representatives of Macedonia – will undertake to meet those challenges, as well as express concrete ideas about what contribution the European Union and its institutions can make to help us in these efforts.
To secure the investment made – in particular by the European Union – in the stability of the whole region, we must be bold and visionary. There are concrete steps which we must take that will require no less commitment than we have shown in the past two years. Macedonian citizens are looking forward to the historic enlargement of the European Union in 2004 and then in 2007. We must make sure that there are no fears arising that, following these enlargements, the Western Balkans could become isolated from developments in the rest of Europe.
There are three things that need to and must be done: we need to continue our efforts to strengthen the rule of law and combat organised crime and corruption. We need to refocus our attention to deal more effectively with issues of economic and social cohesion. And we need to work on realising the vision of a Europe not just for states but also for citizens, enabling free movement of the citizens of the Western Balkans across the borders of the European Union.
There is today a clear consensus on the importance of strengthening the rule of law across the region. This is, above all, the responsibility of our governments. We need to strengthen our institutions, improve our legislation and work on our border management. Recent months have seen substantial progress across the region. Our states are not so weak that they cannot take on organised crime, and our citizens support our institutions when we do. There is much that the governments of the region can do, and there is much that is being done. The Republic of Macedonia is in the final stage of preparations to organise a Regional Conference on Border Security and Management in Ohrid to take this agenda further. The reality is that the effects of economic transition, the consequences of a decade of hostilities in the region, social dislocation, the creation of new borders and the formation of new and sometimes weak institutions combined create challenges that will take some time and a lot of effort to be met. The most important thing is our determination and the support of our citizens in meeting them.
Ensuring lasting stability is also linked to success in the field of economic development. In this respect, the governments and the people in the region have high hopes for the upcoming Thessaloniki Summit. As the point is shifting from post-conflict reconstruction to development, our citizens are increasingly focused on issues related to economic and social cohesion: high unemployment, decaying or absent infrastructure and the need to adapt skills to new economic realities.
There is an obvious link between success in implementing the Framework Agreement, the success of the first EU Military mission and a concrete prospect for economic development. Unemployment, particularly among the young, is extremely high. Economic reform will require further painful decisions which might raise it even higher. This makes the development of a vibrant private sector all the more important, not just for economic reasons, but also for social and security reasons.
In the next few years the European Commission will make a major effort to help the new candidate countries to catch up with the rest of the European Union. It will also undertake a major effort to help Bulgaria and Romania, our eastern neighbours, to catch up with the new candidate countries. This builds on the astonishing success the European Union has had in helping other emerging democracies – in our region, our southern neighbour Greece – to catch up and develop a strong private sector driven economy. This is why we support so strongly the idea of the Greek Presidency to make pre-accession assistance available also to the countries of the Western Balkans.
We are very much hoping that, at the Thessaloniki Summit, a European commitment to the Western Balkans might lead to the creation of a complement to CARDS, with instruments of structural policies offered for pre-accession, as has been discussed by some EU Member States.
We are aware that such assistance will impose many conditions on us, including the need to co-finance projects with our resources. However, such conditionality will help us to strengthen our administrations and prepare for a future in Europe. We do not want to be treated as a humanitarian case but want to take ownership of processes of development in genuine partnership with the European Union institutions.
This brings me to the third issue which I wanted to raise today, and which is of great significance to the citizens of my country and the whole region. The idea and the reality of Europe is the idea of mobility, of freedom of movement for goods and for people.
There are potential advantages of a visa-free regime in relation to the democratisation process in general. A positive democratic and economic evolution will be nourished by simplified international exchange and travel possibilities for students, researchers and businessmen. The successful continuation of the reform process depends on a new generation of responsible citizens with international experience and knowledge.
The Republic of Macedonia with its 2 million citizens borders the EU. It has strong trade links with the EU. Until the break-up of Yugoslavia our citizens travelled to all EU countries without restrictions and the Republic of Macedonia is not a country of transit.
I have been following very carefully the debates in your Parliament on the issue that has been imposed on us, related to the usage of the constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia. Coming from a country with a rich cultural tradition, which has always seen itself as having European values at its heart, I can only be inspired by the principles that are the very foundation of the European Parliament and which are safeguarded by you, the parliamentarians. It will take much more effort and more time until the Macedonian State will be able to become a full member of the Union, although I am looking forward to the day when Macedonian Members will sit in this Chamber.
In this I am hoping also for your support. Let us forge a strong joint partnership and work together to ensure that the European dream will come true also for the young people of the Republic of Macedonia who look forward to being proud citizens of Europe in the 21st century.
Mr President, distinguished Members of the European Parliament, it is with great appreciation and pleasure that I speak to you today. The European Parliament embodies a vision of Europe that is shared today by millions of people, not only inside but also outside of the current European Union, including by the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia. It is vision of a continent of diversity, where different traditions, cultures and languages meet on the basis of mutual respect and common interests. It is the vision of an integrated space for people, of freedom of movement, of a common market and European policies to address common concerns.
This vision of the European founding fathers has today become a reality for the citizens of the European Union, for millions of students studying at universities outside their country, for businessmen linked through trade and investment, and for politicians and civil servants who meet on a daily basis to develop joint responses to the challenges of our age. Soon the European Union will embrace 10 new countries, with their citizens partaking in the European dream of common peace and prosperity. Elected representatives from these countries will sit in this Chamber, as a result of one of the greatest achievements of international politics: the peaceful pooling of sovereignty on the basis of shared values and common interests.
I want to use this opportunity today to share with you my thoughts on what this vision of a united Europe means to the people of my country, the Republic of Macedonia. The citizens of the Republic of Macedonia share the same values and have the same interests as the citizens of those other countries that will soon join the Union. There is a strong political consensus that accession to the European Union is the overriding political objective. There is a strong commitment to do what is necessary to meet criteria for accession and to undertake the required efforts.
Two years ago some – in the European Union and in the Republic of Macedonia – might have had doubts about whether European accession would actually become a reality in our lifetime. The State then faced the most serious crisis in its recent history. We were all looking into an abyss and feared the worst. Then, however, we managed to step back. I want to express the appreciation of the citizens of my country to all those, in this Chamber and in other European and transatlantic institutions, who stood by the Republic of Macedonia in these difficult moments and supported our efforts to move from armed conflict to peaceful, political conflict resolution. When a conflict is resolved peacefully and no longer makes newspaper headlines it is sometimes quickly forgotten, but the ceaseless efforts made by Romano Prodi, Javier Solana, Chris Patten and Lord Robertson deserve to be remembered as one of the most successful and timely interventions ever undertaken by the European Union and by NATO.
In this difficult period, Macedonia discovered that it had many friends – including in this Chamber, where parliamentarians from all political groups, have supported the cause of stabilising our state and reassuring our citizens. The role of the special representatives has also been very important and much appreciated."@en1
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"(The speaker began in Macedonian. The following paragraph is a translation)"1
"President of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"1
"Trajkovski,"1
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