World

Why tensions with neighbours have stalled North Macedonia’s EU bid

Published

1 year ago

September 30, 2024

Why tensions with neighbours have stalled North Macedonia’s EU bid

EU ambassadors failed to approve the opening of the next chapter of EU accession talks with Skopje last week.

In the rural highlands where North Macedonia’s north-east borders Bulgaria’s west, workers swelter in the late September heat.

They’re entering the final stages of building a strategically critical high-speed road connecting the capitals of Skopje and Sofia.

The road is part of the planned ‘Corridor 8’ route linking Italy’s Adriatic coast by sea to Albania, then stretching all the way through North Macedonia to the port of Varna on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. A rail connection along the same corridor is also in the works.

When complete, it will anchor the Western Balkan nations of Albania and North Macedonia into Europe’s transport and trading network, quite literally paving their way into the European Union, while also providing NATO with a strategic military corridor.

But the rail and road project, like North Macedonia’s bid to join the European bloc, has been rigged with obstacles, delays and disputes.

The country’s populist prime minister Hristijan Mickoski has accused Bulgaria of failing to commit to the rail route on its territory, saying the railway will end in a “dead end” on the Bulgarian border. He has threatened to divert the EU funds dedicated to the project to another route known as Corridor 10, which would link Skopje with Belgrade and Budapest to the north, where Eurosceptic nationalists considered close to Mickoski are in government.

The corridor dispute comes amid what Bulgarian officials see as a further unravelling in relations between the two countries, which have plunged to a new low since the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party scored victory in North Macedonia’s parliamentary and presidential elections last May.

A long-standing dispute with Greece over North Macedonia’s name has also resurfaced, as nationalists in Skopje informally refer to the country as ‘Macedonia’ in what officials in Athens see as a blatant violation of the 2018 Prespa agreement.

It meant there was no unanimous agreement among EU ambassadors last week to open the first negotiating chapters on North Macedonia’s accession to the bloc. Neighbouring Albania, meanwhile, has been given the green light.

EU bets on cash-for-reforms strategy

Despite Albania now overtaking its neighbour, officials in Brussels and Skopje still hope the recently-installed Macedonian government will remain focused on its accession path.

The EU executive is betting on its new €6-billion Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, under which it will inject investment into the seven Western Balkan candidate countries over the next three years in return for reforms designed to bring their economies and societies closer to the EU.

The €6 billion – which consists of €2 billion in grants and €4 billion in concessional loans – will be distributed according to each country’s GDP and population, but only made available once they have implemented so-called ‘reform agendas’ designed to align their laws, standards and practices with those of the EU.

Another unique feature of the Growth Plan is that countries that fail to hit their reform targets could see the funds allocated to them diverted to other countries in the Western Balkans region.

EU sources say the model is designed to create “competition” between neighbours and incentivise quicker reforms.

“Luckily, the new North Macedonian government has really bought into the EU accession process as did the previous government,” a diplomatic source said. “When the new government was sworn in, there were no major deviations from the reform agenda negotiated by the previous government.”

“But the proof is in the pudding. We’ll need to wait and see if they implement these reforms,” the diplomat added.

The cash-for-reforms model is part of Brussels’ plan to accelerate reforms on a raft of issues including the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. The reform agendas are expected to be endorsed as early as October, meaning the first “pre-financing” payments could be disbursed by the end of this year.

All countries – with the exception of Bosnia and Herzegovina – have to date submitted their draft reform agendas, as officials in Sarajevo are still deciding how the country’s parliamentary assembly should endorse the plans.

“If a country doesn’t meet its commitment under their reform agendas, the money allocated to it could be transferred to another country in the Western Balkans, creating an element of competition completely new compared to previous financing instruments,” an EU official explained.

Another EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, added that tackling corruption was one of the biggest challenges in North Macedonia and other candidate countries in the region, but that the EU executive had robust mechanisms to safeguard its funding.

“Corruption is present. But we have a policy of zero tolerance for corruption and very strict frameworks in place,” the EU official said, “If it happens, and it does, our mechanisms kick in.”

Member states wield veto power

But even if Skopje successfully meets all its targets and reaps the benefits of the Growth Plan, it can only progress on its path to EU membership if it continues to mend the relationship with neighbouring Bulgaria.

That will prove challenging as lawmakers in Sofia and Skopje continue to exchange combative rhetoric.

Each member state must give its explicit green light to the opening of each step in the EU accession process.

Responding to EU ambassadors’ failure to move on accession talks with North Macedonia, former Bulgarian premier Boyko Borissov – who leads the biggest party in the Bulgarian parliament and chairs its foreign affairs committee – said Skopje had to “face the consequences of its actions,” accusing Mickoski’s government of blaming Bulgaria for delays in its membership bid.

Borissov recently called for the resignation of North Macedonia’s deputy prime minister and transport minister after a war of words involving the Corridor 8 route linking the country’s capitals.

Bulgaria will vote in its seventh election in just three years on October 27, following multiple failures to form a government.

Related Topics:Albania EU Enlargement Featured North Macedonia Western Balkans

Click to comment

World

Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

Published

2 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

From being just a fringe risk, conflict in the Middle East has become a top worry for investors unsettled by the prospect of a power struggle in Iran and a protracted regional war, with ramifications for everything from global trade to inflation.

World

Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

Published

3 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.

“We are facing a biblical event — nothing less,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.

Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was “very experienced in this.”

“But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both,” he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”

Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

“Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come,” Michael added.

As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.

According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.

Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.

The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.

TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ

People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave,” Michael said.

“Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times.”

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.

“The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime,” Herzog said.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK ‘BEGINNING OF THE VERY END’ FOR REGIME

Israeli emergency service officer walks past building debris at the scene of a Iranian missile attack. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)

Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.

Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.

“The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession,” Michael added.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran,” he said.

“Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position,” Michael added.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

World

Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Published

4 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar said Europe “does not have unified position” on what role it should play in Iran as European ministers sought to establish a joint approach Sunday.

As Israel and the United States conducted a joint military strike on Iran, leading to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Europe was kept on the sidelines.

EU member states did not participate in the operation and, in some cases, they were not informed prior as it is customary among strategic allies.

Asked whether Israel sought to keep Europe on the margins, Sa’ar said internal divisions within EU member states had kept them out of critical exchanges of operational details, unlike the United States, which the minister described as his country’s greatest ally.

“In Europe, you have all kinds of approaches,” he told Euronews. “You have countries like the Czech Republic which is strongly supporting this operation and then you have Spain, which is standing with all the tyrants of the world.”

On Saturday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez was among the most critical voices in Europe, suggesting the US-Israeli strikes on Iran risk plunging the region into total war.

“We reject the unilateral military action of the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” Sánchez said Saturday. The Spanish PM reiterated that message on Sunday.

“We urge for de-escalation and call to respect international law in all conflicts,” Sánchez added. “You can be against a heinous regime, like the Iranian regime, while also rejecting a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous and outside of international law.”

Sa’aar said Israel considers the operation “fully justified” citing the right to self-defense from a regime that “has called for the destruction of Israel” and lashed at the Spanish prime minister for sending an “anti-Israeli, anti-American message.”

“Read the statement, they are standing with Iran!” he added.

When asked if any of his European counterparts had manifested an interest in joining the military operation or provide support on the ground, Sa’ar said he held multiple exchanges with European ministers over the weekend and suggested that “if others want to join, they will know have to convey the message.”

On Sunday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared to back regime change in Iran in line with Israel and the US, saying that the “risk of further escalation is real. This is why a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed” in comments on Sunday.

Sa’ar told Euronews said the strategic strikes and the elimination of Khamenei alongside top regime commanders could “create the conditions to weaken the regime enough to allow the Iranians to take their future into their own hands”.

“The future leadership of Iran should be determined by the Iranian people through free elections. Our only requirement is that whoever comes to power in Iran must not pursue the destruction of Israel,” he said.

Watch the full interview on Euronews from 8pm CET