The Republic of Macedonia: The Road of Accession to the EU

Transcription

1 A-1120 Wien Khleslplatz 12 T F post@renner-institut.at Vortrag in ENGLISCHER Sprache von H.E. Dr. Ilinka Mitreva Außenministerin der Republik Mazedonien (FYROM) Montag, Bank Austria-Creditanstalt, Wien herausgegeben von BRIGITTE MARCHER Die ehemalige jugoslawische Republik Mazedonien, die den südlichsten Teil der ehemaligen Sozialistischen Föderativen Republik Jugoslawien bildete, hat 2 Millionen Einwohner und wurde im November 1991 unabhängig. Seit 1996 unterhält das Land vertragliche Beziehungen zur Europäischen Union unterzeichnete es ein Kooperationsabkommen sowie ein Handels- und Textilabkommen, die 1998 in Kraft traten. Ein Stabilisierungs- und Assoziierungsabkommen (SAA) wurde im April 2001 unterzeichnet und mit 1. April 2004 wirksam. Die größte Herausforderung für die politische Stabilität des Landes seit seiner Unabhängigkeit war die Krise im Jahr Das am 13. August 2001 unterzeichnete Rahmenabkommen von Ohrid und die Entschlossenheit, mit der die jeweiligen Regierungen dieses seit 2001 umsetzen, haben eine Rückkehr zur Stabilität ermöglicht. Das Rahmenabkommen forderte die Umsetzung eines breit angelegten Gesetzgebungsprogramms, das im Juli 2005 abgeschlossen wurde. Die Regierung hat nun mit der effektiven Umsetzung dieser neuen Gesetzgebung begonnen, wodurch sie ein Klima des Vertrauens schafft, die Stabilität im Land weiter stärkt und somit die Bedingungen für die Einbindung in die EU immer weiter verbessert. Im Dezember 2005 hat die EU Mazedonien als Beitritts-Kandidat anerkannt. Ende 2006 wird die Europäische Kommission bekannt geben, wann Mazedonien mit dem Beginn der Beitrittsverhandlungen rechnen kann. Der Vortrag fand am Vorabend des Europatags statt. PROGRAMM Begrüßung: Dr. Angelo Rizzuti, BA-CA International Trade Finance Dr. Brigitte Marcher, Renner-Institut Botschafter Dr. Emil Brix, Stv. Vorsitzender des IDM Botschafter Dr. Johannes Kyrle, Generalsekretär im Bundesministerium für auswärtige Angelegenheiten Vortrag: Moderation: Dr. Ilinka Mitreva, Außenministerin der Republik Mazedonien Dr. Walter Schwimmer, ehem. Generalsekretär des Europarats RÜCKMELDUNGEN/ NÄHERE INFORMATION: Dr. Brigitte Marcher, Renner-Institut, Bereich Europa (EU) T F marcher@renner-institut.at

2 Republic of Macedonia Ministry of Foreign Affairs Address by H.E. Dr. Ilinka Mitreva, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia The Republic of Macedonia: The Road of Accession to the EU Vienna, 8 May 2006 Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am especially pleased to address this eminent gathering, organized by the renowned Austrian institutes - the Austrian Society for European Politics, as coorganizer of Europa Club Wien, with Renner Institut and IDM, in the premises of the Bank Austria. Recently, here in Vienna, I have spoken about the role of women in politics and in public life. On that occasion, I said that Macedonia s foreign policy, its strategic goal of European Union membership, are in safe women s hands - the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Vice Prime Minister in charge of European integration, the Chairpersons of the Foreign Policy and European Integration Parliamentary Committees are all women. I believe this is a sign of the democratic maturity of the Macedonian society, but it is also a strong guarantee of the success on our way to the EU. Tomorrow is Europe Day. The day when, 56 years ago, Schumann s Declaration set the basis of present day European Union. Only five years before that, Europe was devastated by the greatest tragedy in its history. The concurrence of the Victory Day and the Europe Day carries strong symbolism. Europe, its unification, is the anticipated victory over the possible repetition of history. As of 9 May 1950, at the height of the Cold War, the greatest endeavour in the history of Europe and its nations began. Today we still find 2

3 inspiration in Schumann s words: Depending on the incidental circumstances in which it will be built, Europe will be more or less complete. Will it ever become such? No one knows. But this is not the reason to delay the unification efforts. To do something is always better than to give in, while the pursuit for perfection is a lame excuse for lack of action. As a Minister of Foreign Affairs of a country candidate for EU membership, but above all as a citizen of Europe, regardless of the fact that this is still not entered in my passport, I remind myself of all the Scylla and Charydbis that Europe faced and I ask myself: Is Europe fatigued with the Victory? Is Europe tired with the way passed thus far and the achieved results? How else could one interpret the growing demands for a break in the enlargement, sometimes, as Schumann would say, disguised by the pursuit for perfection. Does this perhaps indicate lack of political will or what would even be worse lack of vision? It is understandable to have the well-known concerns or fears before accomplishing a venture of such grandeur. Europe is still not completely united, but it is united more then ever. This is a historic success and therefore on Europe Day we should dully pay our tribute. We, in Macedonia have all the reason more to do so. For the first time in its history, the Republic of Macedonia celebrates Europe Day as a country candidate for EU membership. We in Skopje, as in Vienna or Madrid, have proudly hoisted the European flag and the Ode of Joy prompts the same sentiments with us, as it does in Budapest or Prague. For we are Europe. Hence, my most important message that I should like to underscore at the beginning of my address is: Europe is built by all its nations that want to do so, sharing identical values and fulfilling the required criteria. There are no more ideological borders in Europe. Let us not set psychological borders and barriers. Therefore, despite all the recent difficulties on the way to European unification, I should like to especially point to the determination of the EU to reaffirm its commitment to continuing the enlargement. This was confirmed at the Salzburg meeting. The Austrian Presidency deserves to be especially commended in this respect, for with its strong support and several concrete activities it has ensured that the Western Balkans is at the top of the European Agenda. The Salzburg messages are greatly important for the Republic of Macedonia, which as of last December is a candidate for fully-fledged membership of the European Union. We have indeed invested our utmost efforts to earn this status. We have achieved, as some of our European friends say, remarkable success in a remarkably short time. For us this is a pledge for the future, not a privilege. Therefore, the responsibilities and obligations deriving from the candidate status leave us no room for complacency. A lot has been achieved, and much remains to be done. Time is now of the essence. Reminding of Mozart s words, I would say that in reforms- as in music- it is all about the tempo. We have chosen the staccato. We spare no efforts in promptly and consistently implementing the priorities on our way of accession to the European Union- strengthening the rule of law and improving the business and investment climate. 3

4 Dear Friends, Presently, the question of Europe s borders and identity is more and more often asked. Europe at the same time is geography and history, tradition and culture. Here, in Austria you do know that the Republic of Macedonia belongs to Europe in each of theses respects. I should like to especially focus on the European values we share and promote in our everyday life. You can recognize these European values on the way we have passed thus far. The Republic of Macedonia, unfortunately, has had to deal with numerous difficulties, caused by the disintegration of former Yugoslavia and the complex relations in the Balkans, which have objectively slowed down our progress towards United Europe. But my country has never been a hostage of historic determinism. If there is anything good about difficulties, than it is the fact that they make you stronger and more resilient. We had such an experience in The Republic of Macedonia showed wisdom, determination and capability of dealing with the most difficult issues of political, security and interethnic character. Macedonia achieved this by making compromises, abiding by European values and applying European standards. The European Union has also invested great political capital in the resolution of this crisis. What is our differentia specifica in resolving problems: dialogue instead of force, compromise instead of unbending (rigidness), and tolerance instead of exclusiveness. Signing the Ohrid Agreement, we have strengthened the cohesion of the Macedonian society. Thus, Macedonia demonstrated that even on the Balkan soil the clear European perspective can mobilize the capacities to implement far-reaching reforms that ensure certain European future for the citizens. Today, Macedonia is an example of a functional democracy in a multiethnic society. An example of stability and ethnic tolerance in the Balkans. We have been consistently and successfully implementing the Ohrid Framework Agreement for five years now. We adopted or amended more than 70 laws in attaining the vision of democratic, multiethnic Macedonia. We continue working with the same dedication on the process of equitable representation of ethnic communities in the public administration. The decentralization of power from the central to the local level is being successfully implemented for eleven months now. Despite all related sensitive issues, this complex process proceeds without any major difficulties, continuously supported by the Government. Dear friends, The Ohrid Agreement of 2001 is an autochthonous Macedonian model that incorporates European values and principles. Respect for human and minority rights is the trademark of my country. We consider ethnic, cultural and religious diversities to be our asset, not a liability. Or in the European jargon, we, in Macedonia, united in our diversities, are in fact firmly tied together by a shared goal - building European Macedonia. Our example can be the model and the guide for the resolution of problems in similar situations. 4

5 Ladies and Gentlemen, In the last ten years, the Republic of Macedonia has established itself as a reliable partner and a true ally of the European Union. We have not bypassed any of the institutional stages in developing our relations with the Union - starting with the Cooperation Agreement, over to the Stabilization and Association Agreement, until the acquiring of the EU membership candidate status. We are fully aware that in order to reach the ultimate goal fully-fledged membership of the European Union - it is not enough to do our best. We will succeed only by doing the necessary, and sometimes even the impossible. We are intensively working to fulfill the conditions necessary for an early start of EU accession negotiations. I will not speculate with dates, not because this is unpopular at the moment in Europe, but because we wish to fully dedicate ourselves to the work ahead of us. For the realization of a project of historic importance for my country, such as the European Union membership, it does not suffice to only plan ahead; we need to truly believe in our own capabilities. Our European friends say that we need to carefully manage our expectations. Our answer is: we will spare no efforts. I am convinced that our endeavors and expectations will make a coherent picture of the European performances of the Republic of Macedonia. As I have said, the Republic of Macedonia and the EU are long year partners tied by complete mutual trust. This implies that the partners need to remain faithful to their obligations, commitments and promises. Being a university professor, I would use an academic illustration: we are aware that the exam ahead of us is difficult, but we are preparing meticulously, driven by our great enthusiasm. We do not aim to barely make it at this exam, we aim to pass it with flying colours. As thus far, we would expect the European Union to be consistent and just in its assessment, based on the previously agreed curriculum and within a reasonable timeframe. Learning is a life long experience. Therefore, EU membership for us is not a goal in itself. We want to participate in building United Europe and be part of this great historic endeavour. The Republic of Macedonia has a precisely defined agenda for accession to the European Union. The European Partnership and the Stabilization and Association Agreement are our roadmap. Strengthening of the rule of law remains the core of our reform agenda. Progress in this area is gaining pace. The complex reform of the judiciary proceeds with the envisaged dynamics. The adoption of Constitutional Amendments last December paved the way for the passage of primary legislation essential for the enhancement of the rule-of-law. The first ever Law on Witness Protection came into force in January The Office of the Prosecutor includes, as of January, a unit to fight organized crime. The Training Academy for Judges and Prosecutors entirely financed through domestic sources was inaugurated in February. The Academy is a further step towards the professionalization and de-politicization of the selection of judges and prosecutors. Several days ago we adopted the major law in this area the Law on Courts. This Law enables improvement of the organizational and functional set up of the courts and helps establish more efficient legal mechanisms for 5

6 prompter and better quality court proceedings. Other important legal tools stemming from the Constitutional Amendments, such as the Law on the Judicial Council, Law on Misdemeanors are in the final procedure of adoption. The police reforms are successfully pursued. The new Law on the Police has been drafted and is to be adopted by September this year, at the latest. The newly established organizational set up of the Ministry of the Interior and the police is well implemented. These assessments are shared by the European police advisory team in my country. We actively work to further improve the integrated border management system. The police has fully taken over the control of the state border. There has been an exceptional progress in the cooperation with the border services of the neighboring countries, especially in countering illegal border crossings. In the area of fight against organized crime, most of the national action measures are successfully realized. The legal framework has been set forth, the law enforcement agencies have been restructured, while specialized agencies have significantly improved their mutual cooperation. In the area of economy, Macedonia achieves positive results that perhaps are not visible and evident in terms of increasing the standard of living of the citizens, but after the long and hard years of transition they herald the light at the end of the tunnel. The structural reforms and the new legislation on the labor market have had a visible impact on the business and investment climate in my country. The Macedonian economy performances are the best indicator in this context. The sale of the Public Electric Power Distribution Company to the Austrian energy giant EVN is another strong signal that Macedonia has embarked upon a period of growing foreign investments. Unemployment remains our major problem. Increasing the volume of foreign investments, encouraged by the candidate status and the success of the reforms, we expect accelerated economic growth and reduction of the unemployment rate. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Parliamentary elections in the Republic of Macedonia will be held on 5 July. The conduct of the elections will largely determine the pace of our further rapprochement with the EU. On the basis of the newly adopted electoral legislation, Macedonia is preparing the grounds to have free and democratic parliamentary elections. This will be another strong argument in favour of the democratic maturity of the Republic of Macedonia. Ladies and Gentlemen, We are particularly proud of the fact that the Republic of Macedonia has been continuously highly assessed for its leadership role in regional cooperation. I believe you will agree that today a new spirit of solidarity, partnership and cooperation prevails in the Balkans. Last week, I was in Thessalonica, at the South-East European Cooperation Process Summit. I came back reassured of my experience thus far: the Balkans is definitely writing a new page in its history. Regional cooperation is the genuine need of the countries in the Region and a complementary factor on our way to the 6

7 EU. The Republic of Macedonia has greatly contributed to creating a European atmosphere in the Balkans and selflessly invests in its European future. We must not forget that 2006 will be an exceptionally important year for the Region and, in this context, I primarily refer to the negotiations on the future status of Kosovo and the forthcoming referendum in Montenegro. The political decisions on these issues are to serve the stability and prosperity of our Region. They also must serve the purpose of full European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the Region. I would like to reiterate that we would support a solution on Kosovo that will be reached by way of an agreement between the involved parties and the international community, while respecting the fundamental principles of the United Nations, of the EU and of the Contact Group. Standards implementation must remain the basic priority. Dear friends, Our contribution to advancing regional cooperation are also the informal Europeanintegration meetings of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries in the Balkans, with a Minister of Foreign Affairs of a EU member-state. The last such, exceptionally successful meeting, took place last December, in Ohrid, with our Austrian Colleague Ursula Plassnik. At this meeting, the priorities of the Austrian EU Presidency were announced. With Croatia, we have established a new institutional form of cooperation, as set forth under the Stabilization and Association Process. The Region is inter-connecting through the energy, transport and communication infrastructure. We actively participate and support the work of all regional initiatives. We attach great importance to regional ownership, as a concrete demonstration of the commitments of the countries in the Region to designing and managing their cooperation by themselves. I would take this opportunity to underline that the inclusion of the Republic of Macedonia and the other countries in our Region in the economic and social cohesion policy goals of the Union is of paramount importance for the prosperity of the Balkans. I hope that the new pre-accession assistance instrument IPA will enable us to adjust swiftly to European standards. Dear friends, Almost three years ago in Thessalonica, the way of the Republic of Macedonia and the other Western Balkans countries towards membership of the European Union was paved. The Thessalonica Agenda is perhaps the most convincing argument that decisively pursued commitments are bound to yield results. Each of the Stabilization and Association Process countries has made a qualitative step forward in the rapprochement with the EU and progresses following its own pace in accomplishing the European perspective. An issue we have continuously insisted on and which makes me especially proud is the gradual attainment of the perspective for visa regime liberalization. The conclusions of 7

8 the Justice and Home Affairs Council of about ten days ago confirm this. Pursuing a substantive visa dialogue with the countries in the Region, the EU must facilitate and gradually liberalize the visa regime, based on the individual achievements of each country. The visa-based isolation of the countries in the Western Balkans must not be allowed to continue. Such visa isolation is doing injustice to the young people building the European future of our countries, willing to better know Europe and to communicate with their peers. We expect that the visa dialogue with the EC will be conducted in a constructive atmosphere, in the spirit of our partnership relations. The Republic of Macedonia does not pose security or migration threat to the EU member-states. There has been significant progress made in the justice system and home affairs reforms, as I have said earlier. The introduction of new personal identification documents, in accordance with European security standards, is envisaged for this autumn. By the end of June this year, we will close the issue of concluding readmission agreements with 18 EU member-states. Exactly here, in Vienna, last week, we signed the Readmission Agreement with your country. I am convinced that Austria, as an EU member, will continue to be committed to this issue of our shared interest. Jean Monet said, We do not unite states, we unite people. In conditions of visa driven isolation, it is difficult to unite people, or enhance our harmonization with the European Union standards. The Blue Danube is to unite Europeans it should not be the symbol of the Schengen barrier in the heart of our Continent. Dear friends, The integration of the Western Balkan countries in the European family will not only strengthen and enrich the Union, but it will also contribute to attaining lasting security in the European continent. In fact, it will complete the edifice of United Europe. The European architecture will not be complete without the countries of the Balkans. Therefore, Europe as a political reality must encompass the countries from the Balkans. The Thessalonica and Salzburg commitments must be implemented in full. Any eventual change of this policy can negatively impact the maintenance of stability in the Region and will not help the democratic forces in the Region that are dedicated to the European integration. The European ideals must not be betrayed. The history of Europe reassures me that the Union has the inner strength to overcome the complex challenges, without calling into question the noble idea of European unification. United Europe will indeed be the fundamental value of the Planet, as the great Austrian Poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal wrote with vision. Euro-skepticism is an issue of inertia. Inertia is weaker than vision. Europe is the winning combination for all. 8

9 Ladies and Gentlemen, At the end, I think it is good to remind ourselves of another great European from Vienna- Stefan Zweig- who had the courage to dream of times when each of us will be able to write his or her own European ID and when no one can forbid anybody to feel as a citizen of Europe. That time has come. Today we do write our own European ID s. We are Europeans and it is primarily up to us when we will become European citizens institutionally. If we look at the map of Europe, we can see 25 glittering stars- the member-states. This constellation must be completed with the countries of South-East Europe. A sun adorns the flag of my country- the Republic of Macedonia. The sun, too, is a star is the motto that mobilizes us on the way to Europe. Acquiring the candidate status, we have made a great step forward in attaining our goal. We have the will, confidence, energy and knowledge to make the ultimate decisive step. Our Macedonian star will make the European skies brighter and richer. Thank you for your attention. --- o --- 9