Zaev: Strategic Partnership with EU instead of Membership Is Unacceptable

Zoran-Zaev-Beta

North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has said that the idea of a strategic partnership with the EU instead of a membership in the Union is unacceptable for his country.

“We will not accept an alternative debate, debate, for example on a strategic partnership instead of membership talks. There is no alternative for our country but a full-fledged membership in the EU,” Zaev told TV Alsat M in the evening on Oct. 21.

This was Zaev’s comment on French President Emmanuel Macron’s observation that certain candidate countries could be offered a strategic partnership instead of a membership in the EU.

“Why is President Macron’s idea unacceptable? We will definitely spend seven or eight years in accession talks, discussing chapters individually. This means that we will join the EU after we have implemented reforms in the country, which will be backed by accession process and closing of the chapters,” North Macedonia’s prime minister said.

Zaev added he believed that Macron would accept this position and would send an encouraging signal that North Macedonia should start the EU integration process as previously agreed.

“I do not need that signal. It should be a signal to our people, to preserve and maintain motivation. We need to maintain motivation also because of the position of 27 EU member countries, which have presented a crystal clear stance that North Macedonia has deserved to open the accession talks,” Zaev specified.

Commenting on Italy’s initiative that North Macedonia be included on the EU’s agenda already at the General Affairs Council meeting in November, Zaev said his Italian counterpart Giuseppe had invited him to meet on Oct. 29 to discuss the initiative, which, he said, had also been backed by other prime ministers.