Rocznik_2014-215

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Mladen Karadzoski, Artur Adamczyk
FYROM’s determination to join the EU was proven by the fact that it
was the first country to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
with the European Union (already in 2001). 9
Despite internal problems suffered by Macedonia in 2001, caused
by an armed conflict with insurgents from the Albanian minority, the
government in Skopje managed to convince the European Union of its
democratic intentions. The signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement,
which ended the internal political crisis, showed that Macedonia
was indeed a democratic and tolerant country that respected the
rights of national minorities. In the following years, 2003-2005, in order
to safeguard the still fragile peace in Macedonia, the European Union
executed the EU Police Mission Proxima. The mission’s main task
was to support the Macedonian Ministry of internal Affairs in maintaining
the legal order and reforming the national police force. 10 The
calming of the internal situation and the implementation of further
reforms recommended by the European Commission induced the
FYROM government to apply for full membership in the European
Union, which it did at the 2004 summit of the European Council in
Dublin. 11 In response, in November 2005, the European Commission
issued an opinion that FYROM deserved the status of a candidate
country, which was officially confirmed by a decision of the European
Council in Brussels a month later. 12
The decision of granting FYROM the status of a candidate country
was a form of reward given to Macedonians for their immense effort
in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria and for their achievements
resulting from the implementation of the legal solutions laid down in
the Ohrid Agreement. It is worth noting that even Greece, with which
Macedonia was still conducting negotiations on the country’s name,
did not block this decision. There is no doubt that this was a political
9 Македонија во ЕУ-трето дополнето и изменето издани, op. cit., p. 12.
10 www.europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/r18013.htm, last accessed on: 10 August 2014.
11 Analytical Report for the Opinion on the Application from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
for EU Membership, Commission of the European Communities Brussels, 9 November 2005, SEC
(2005) 1425, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/archives/pdf/key_documents/2005/
package/sec_1425_final_analytical_report_mk_en.pdf, last accessed on: 10 August 2014.
12 F. Nelli Feroci, The Future of Enlargement: Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries of the Western
Balkans, in: F. M. Bindi and I. Angelescu (ed.), A Frontier of Europe: A Transatlantic Problem,
Brooking Institution Press, Washington D.C.–Rome, p. 27.
Rocznik Instytutu Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej • Rok 12 (2014) • Zeszyt 3