Nikovski: Kallas subtly signaled we must obey the EU’s demands

Former Macedonian ambassador and analyst Risto Nikovski stated for Kosovo Online that Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, discreetly conveyed in Skopje today that North Macedonia is part of the European Union—but only if it complies with the EU’s dictates.

Regarding North Macedonia’s accession to the EU, Nikovski said that Kallas dispelled all illusions about a possible "Plan B" or any alternative path.

"I’d say she sang the same old tunes—if we compare her to the famous Maria Cllas. Kallas told us the same thing as [former Commissioner] Hahn once did: there will be no European Union membership until we capitulate—only this time it was phrased more discreetly. So, there’s nothing new, and we shouldn’t expect anything new. The ball is in Macedonia’s court, and if we want to change anything, to exit the dark tunnel, Macedonia must take radical steps. That means, first, withdrawing from the Second Protocol with Bulgaria and thereby nullifying the unacceptable negotiation framework through which Macedonia will never enter the Union, and rejecting the imposed demand to amend our Constitution. The ball has been returned to us—in a polite and correct manner, but with the same essence—and we must be aware that it is our move," Nikovski said.

For the rest of the Western Balkans, Kallas’s messages, in his view, brought no changes either.

"The optimism projected for Montenegro and Albania is inadequate compared to their actual potential for progress and membership. It creates unnecessary hope that some kind of EU enlargement will happen. The Union will likely never expand in the way it has until now. A 'second league' has already been formed, so the same message applies, albeit with softer language toward Albania and Montenegro. We’re all in the waiting room—and we’ll be there for a long time. Perhaps we’ll never get out," Nikovski concluded.