Pendarovski: Disapproval of constitutional changes will cost us a decade

Northern Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski has said on Tuesday that the failure to adopt constitutional changes “will also cost a decade” the European integration of this state.

The constitutional amendments to the inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in its prembulous, as an official people, are provided with what is known as the “French proposal” for resolving conflict with Bulgaria on issues pertaining to Macedonian language and identity.

But, due to a lack of consensus, between power and opposition, these changes were not adopted and Northern Macedonia did not get consent to launch talks at the recent EU summit.

“With the postponement of constitutional changes, we will miss another opportunity that could cost us at least a decade of integrations, meaning less economic progress, worse standards for citizens and greater migration”, Pendarovski said in his annual speech to MPs.

However, Pendarovski said that northern Macedonia “should stay on the road to European integrations, regardless of which executive power will be at the helm of the country, following May 2024 elections, or despite blockades by Bulgaria”.

However, it is certainly not in our strategic interest to make enemies from Bulgaria, because it is in our interest to have a stable environment and productive co-operation with all our neighbours”, President Pendarovski said.

He also spoke of the fight against organised crime and corruption that has not produced the expected results, which was also highlighted in the European Commission's Progress Report but also in numerous reactions from the United States.

No law can change reality if the sole criterion for employment is clienteleism and party nepotism. The impression is that the US and the EU are more diligent fighters against corruption than our” institutions, the head of state said.

He devoted part of the 14-year-old assassination speech to Vanja Djordjeevska, but also to various social networking promotional calls.

Unfortunately, the entire social system has failed because misunderstood democratic pluralism has not prevented these individuals from polluting even more public space”, Pendarovski said.

As far as foreign policy goes, Northern Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski spoke of fighting in Gaza, arguing Israeli Army action against, as said, “terrorist group Hamas”.

The “Possition is clear, Hamas is a terrorist organisation and the time has come to confirm this with an official decision. Israel has the right to self-defense. Human rights should also be considered. Most important for us is that all political subjects act with responsibility over that conflict not to deepen divisions in multiethnic society”, Pendarovski said.