Tuesday, June 12, 2007

"European best practices" urged on Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

European Parliament Press Release
12-06-2007 - 12:22

EU drumbeat? 90% of FYROM citizens are said to support EU membership
A report heading for July's plenary session is likely to call on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to look to "European best practices" on ethnic and linguistic differences as a model for its EU hopes. Education and public administration should take account of the two official languages and diverse ethnic mix in this country of 2 million people, the report says. It calls for EU accession negotiations to start in "the nearest possible future", once it meets the necessary preconditions.


Independent since 1991, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) was accepted as a "candidate" for EU membership in December 2005, but negotiations with the mountainous Balkan state have not yet begun.

Small country of many languages and peoples

Although small the country is ethnically diverse. As well as Macedonians it has an Albanian minority of 23% as well as communities of Roma, Turks, Romanians, Serbs and Bosnians. Its two official languages are Macedonian and Albanian.

In early June, MEPs in the foreign affairs committee discussed the EU hopes of the country and adopted by a substantial majority a report stressing among others things the importance of protecting its ethnic and linguistic diversity. It called on the country to learn from the best practices of other European states that have accommodated linguistic differences. In particular it stressed that education and public administration should take into account linguistic differences so "minorities can live with on another on an equal and harmonious basis".

The report goes on to say that it appreciates efforts to enable inhabitants belonging to the two main language groups to "live together in equality and peace". It says that this is being done by including minorities in decision-making and improving the position of the Albanian language in government and education.

Respect for languages key to EU hopes says report

The report was drafted by Dutch MEP Erik Meijer who sits as an MEP for the European United Left and Nordic Green Left group (GUE/NGL). Speaking during the foreign affairs committee meeting he called for negotiations on EU accession to be "launched in the nearest possible future" on the condition that the country "recognises the equal value of languages of its inhabitants".

The current efforts of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia were also praised during the meeting by another MEP with experience in the region. Doris Pack - who heads the Parliament's Delegation of MEPs to South-East Europe - called the country's current law on minorities "exemplary".

Although not a member, the country has already made EU history by being the scene of the EU's first ever military mission with NATO. In 2003 "operation Concordia" helped stabilise the country and enforce a peace agreement as it teetered on the brink of a civil war between government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists. After the failures in the Balkans in the 1990's this was a success for EU foreign policy and the efforts of its chief Javier Solana.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/027-7721-155-06-23-903-20070611STO07711-2007-04-06-2007/default_en.htm