Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, during his official visit to North Macedonia, stated on Friday in Ohrid that the Western Balkans deserve much more from the European Union (EU) than they have received, particularly North Macedonia, towards which, in his view, Brussels made a “historical mistake.”
Orban made this statement following media reports that Brussels had separated the European paths of North Macedonia and Albania, giving Tirana the opportunity to advance while Skopje and Sofia resolved their bilateral issues.
The two countries were on the path to the EU together and both began accession negotiations in the summer of 2022. However, due to disputes between Skopje and Sofia, North Macedonia’s progress has stalled, directly affecting Albania’s advancement in the accession process.
During a press conference with his Macedonian counterpart Hristijan Mickoski in Ohrid, Orban emphasized the importance of protecting national interests and ideals.
He stated that it is “very important for people to protect national pride.”
Given that Hungary currently holds the EU presidency, the discussions in Ohrid focused on North Macedonia’s path toward EU membership.
According to Orban, it is crucial for the Western Balkans, including North Macedonia, to be stable and to join the EU.
Referring to the acceleration of Ukraine and Moldova’s EU membership negotiations, Orban stressed that Western Balkan countries should not be left behind.
“We must take geopolitical factors into account and respect that countries, which have been working towards EU membership for years, are being sidelined. This is not fair on our part, and as the EU presidency, we believe it is very important to keep Western Balkan membership on the agenda,” Orban said, adding:
“The people of Western Balkan countries deserve much more than they have received from Brussels so far. I want to say that these countries should have been EU members long ago.”
The Hungarian prime minister also reminded that North Macedonia has been an EU candidate since 2005, alongside Croatia.
“Croatia has been an EU member since then, while negotiations with North Macedonia have not even started, which is a very big mistake by the EU, one that I would characterize as historical,” Orban remarked, highlighting the challenge this poses for North Macedonia’s government.
He noted that Hungary could mediate the dispute between North Macedonia and Bulgaria.
Mickoski commented that the country should not lose hope or be disappointed.
“I’m sorry that this is happening and that we have to be a victim of bilateral relations again, rather than meeting the Copenhagen criteria. But we will continue to work hard. I wish the Albanian government all the best in the negotiations and hope they conclude them very soon and become an EU member,” said Mickoski.
North Macedonia and Bulgaria reached an agreement in July 2022 to amend the Macedonian constitution to include the Bulgarian minority.
This was expected to lead to the lifting of Sofia’s veto and progress in Skopje’s EU negotiations. However, due to a lack of political will and consensus in North Macedonia, this has not occurred, and the accession process for both Skopje and Tirana has stalled.
