Remarks by President António Costa at the joint press conference with Prime Minister of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski

Thank you very much, dear Prime Minister, dear Hristijan for the warm reception in North Macedonia and for this very extensive, but very constructive talk.

My strong belief is that enlargement is a common goal we share. It is the best geostrategic investment in peace, security, and stability that we all can make.

I commend the excellent work made by North Macedonia and your government on the reform agenda and the progress already achieved. We need to use this opportunity to conclude strategic investments, such as the Corridor 8 and Corridor 10. 

During our meeting, I reiterated that North Macedonia’s future is within the European Union. We have made a lot of progress already and we discussed the remaining steps that need to be taken to complete the process, and I encouraged the Prime Minister to pursue his efforts to unlock further progress. 

Dear Hristian, you can count on us - the European Union stands with you, ready to help seize this momentum. 

It is now crucial to press ahead with reforms and invest in the rule of law and fight against corruption. 

I would also like to acknowledge your alignment with our Common Foreign and Security Policy and your support for Ukraine. 

I trust that your future engagements – also in and at international fora - will reflect our shared values.

The Security and Defence Partnership we signed last year is a prime example of how North Macedonia and the European Union are already coming closer; concretely increasing collaboration in key areas such as support to Ukraine, countering hybrid threats, and counter terrorism.

North Macedonia has done a lot of work. You need to stay the course. The accession process is more a marathon, than a sprint. It is demanding. It can be frustrating at times — like it has been for all previous candidates. But all of them achieved the objective, and certainly, you will too.
 
With your determination, hard work and cooperation you will make it all the way, bypassing hurdles. Thank you very much.

Videos from the press conference

https://newsroom.consilium.europa.eu/permalink/262147

https://newsroom.consilium.europa.eu/permalink/262144

https://newsroom.consilium.europa.eu/permalink/262145

https://newsroom.consilium.europa.eu/permalink/262146