EU encourages former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to continue with reforms

The EU and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM, held the third meeting of the Stability and Association Council in Brussels on 11 December.

"We affirmed our full support for the agenda set out at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003 and recall FYROM's status as a candidate country", said Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paula Lehtomäki on behalf of the EU Presidency at a press conference after the meeting.

The EU welcomed the opening of the negotiations for visa facilitation and readmission agreements. Conclusion of these agreements will be important in fostering people-to-people contacts, said Lehtomäki.

The EU considered that FYROM has continued its progress within the Stabilisation and Association Process, although at a slower pace in 2006. According to Lehtomäki, the EU encouraged the Government of FYROM to intensify its reform efforts and to ensure effective implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement that ended the crisis in 2001. This agreement remains essential in the process of European integration.

"It is very important that all political forces in the country work together constructively so that the pace of relevant reforms can accelerate in the near future", said the minister.