European Council Reaffirms Macedonia’s Candidate Country Status

Brussels/Sofia. The European Council reaffirms Macedonia’s candidate member state status, concludes the final declaration of the EU summit meeting which is held in Brussels, FOCUS News Agency learned.
“The European Council notes that the candidate country status of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was recognition of the country's reform achievements. The European Council calls for accelerating the pace of reforms in key areas in order to progress towards the goal of moving ahead in the accession process”, the document reads.
“The European Council reaffirms that the future of the Western Balkans lies in the European Union. It reiterates that each country's progress towards the European Union depends on its individual efforts to comply with the Copenhagen criteria and the conditionality of the Stabilisation and Association Process. A country's satisfactory track-record in implementing its obligations under the Stabilisation and Association Agreements, including trade related provisions, is an essential element for the EU to consider any membership application”, the declaration states further.