EP rapporteur urges EU to set date for Macedonia

19/01/2010

STRASBOURG, France -- Slovenian Rapporteur for Macedonia Zoran Thaler is urging the EU to set a date for starting accession talks with Skopje when the EU foreign ministers meet in March, Macedonian media reported on Monday (January 18th). Thaler has submitted a draft resolution to the EP foreign affairs committee warning that further delay could aggravate inter-ethnic relations in the country. According to the media, the document does not mention Macedonia's name dispute with Greece. Thaler welcomed Greece's initiative for the EU integration of the Western Balkans by 2014. The European Parliament's foreign affairs committee is expected to vote on the resolution next week.

Last month, the EU foreign ministers delayed any decision on a date for launching Macedonia's accession talks and agreed to revisit the matter during the first half of this year. (MIA, A1, Alsat - 18/01/10)