Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has said that Monday's launch of the intergovernmental conference on the new EU reform treaty was important for Macedonia. The launch of the conference means that Macedonia, an accession candidate, can now be more relaxed regarding its future, Rupel said in Brussels on Tuesday.
Before the launch of talks on the treaty, the "EU was in a crisis, at a standstill and could not ponder enlargement," Rupel said after attending a session of the EU-Macedonia Stabilisation and Association Council.
"The Macedonian friends were interested in the situation regarding the reform treaty," Rupel said. The conference is aimed at arriving at the wording of the treaty by October and the EU has said the document would allow for a further enlargement of the 27-member bloc.
While Macedonia, as opposed to Croatia and Turkey, has not yet begun accession talks, it "again expressed its hope to be given [the launch date for the talks] as soon as possible," Rupel said and added that this was in Macedonia's hands. "Macedonia was very assertive in its presentation, we have discovered that it was carrying out institutional political and economic reforms, which are key for launching accession talks," Rupel explained and added that the country faced issues in justice and fighting corruption.
Rupel also attended late on Monday and Tuesday the sessions of the the EU-Morocco and the EU-Chile association councils.
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