Brussels – I believe it is not fair for North Macedonia to be placed in the same basket as Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina when it comes to progress on the European path, said Slovenian MEP Irena Joveva to MIA.
– I must say that Montenegro and Albania, and especially Montenegro, is realistically or most realistically the most advanced in the region in terms of reforms and progress. Although I wouldn’t want it to seem like I’m criticizing Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi or the Commission, I think it’s a bit unfair to suggest that we are, if I may say so, in the same basket as Serbia, and even Bosnia and Herzegovina, says Joveva, who has Macedonian roots.
Joveva, who is part of the liberal group “Renew Europe,” emphasizes that it is particularly unfair, given what is happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and especially in Serbia.
– It’s not that the Macedonian state hasn’t progressed; there has been progress, but the assessment is too general, too broad. Of course, it cannot be said that North Macedonia has progressed as much as Montenegro, but it deserves to be stated clearly and loudly that there has been progress, Joveva emphasizes.
According to her, if the European Commission’s report on the country for 2025 is read specifically, it will be seen that it has indeed made progress, and this should be emphasized, rather than saying it is in the same basket as Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
– I think that such a narrative is not right and not fair, primarily from the European Commission, and it should be stated clearly and loudly that North Macedonia has made progress. I believe the country is progressing and is on a good path in the process of accession to the European Union, says Joveva. (November 6, 2025)