15/03/2000: The negotiations between Macedonia and the European Union are underway Brussels, The Republic of Macedonia and the European Union commenced today the negotiations aimed at reaching the agreement on stabilisation and association. Macedonian negotiation team is spearheaded by Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Vasil Tupurkovski. According to the schedule, the first meeting in Brussels will be focused on the dynamic of negotiations, then, the experts will discuss the segments on adjusting Macedonia’s standards in fields spanning economy, legislation and human rights, in line with EU standards. Macedonian government presumes that the agreement on stabilisation and association will be concluded within a period of one year.
27/04/2000: "Dnevnik" today comments that of the Balkan countries only Croatia can hope to catch the European train and to join Bulgaria or Romania as a candidate, is the opinion of the EU commissioner for enlargement Gunter Verheugen. Any next enlargement of the EU will be a differentiated process which could contain options for partial membership to the EU and for which at this point in time it is too early to talk about. Verheugen stated this during an informal meeting attended by certain diplomats in Brussels. The countries from Western Balkan among which is also Macedonia, have entered the process for stabilization and association. This does not envision the defining of their future membership to the EU. The most important thing for these countries at the moment is for them to cooperate between themselves. According to the commissioner Gunter Verheugen these countries will not be able to quickly fulfill the European criteria. The European Union itself will also not be able, in the near future, to accept more than the 12 that are at the moment candidates.
11/05/2001:
THE COMMON EU CITIZENS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE PERSPECTIVE TO HAVE A COUNTRY FROM THE WESTERN BALKANS BECOMING PART OF THE UNION ONE DAY.
The support of that idea is somewhat modest 27% for Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, 29% for FR Yugoslavia, while Croatia holds the best position among the citizens of "the fifteen" with 31 %. These are the latest results from the polls conducted by Eurostat, the statistic bureau from Luxemburg.
FR Yugoslavia received the biggest support among all the countries in the region, especially in Greece where 63% from those who were polled believe it would be good to have this country admitted in the EU. With high 55% the Greeks also support the joining of Croatia, and with a percent less Bosnia & Herzegovina, while Macedonia has the least support with 47%.
The citizens from Austria and France in general are most negative towards these ideas.
FR Yugoslavia and Croatia in France had 21% of support and with one i.e. two percent less follow Macedonia and Bosnia. 63 % of those polled in France are explicitly against having FR Yugoslavia, Croatia and Macedonia joining the EU and 64% against Bosnia.
Austria also had miserable assessments for the western Balkans - for FR Yugoslavia were only 15%, and against it 71%. Bosnia and Macedonia have 16% of support and Croatia was in a relatively best position with 26% pro and 60% con.
Relatively good grades somewhere about 40% of support for the Balkan countries were given by Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Ireland and Italy. In Italy also the biggest support was for Croatia, with 41% and least for Macedonia (31%). 35% supported Yugoslavia and 34% Bosnia. About 40% in Italy were against, least for Croatia (39), most for Macedonia (46), 45 were against FR Yugoslavia and 44% of the Italians against Bosnia.
The Germans have the best attitude towards Croatia (25%), and worst towards Yugoslavia (20%), while Bosnia and Macedonia have 21% of support to join the EU.
When it come to the perception of the chances of the Balkan countries to join the EU in average Bosnia & Herzegovina was in the worst position with 50% of negative attitude. The worst attitude for Bosnia came from Belgium, Spain, France, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland and Great Britain. However the others are not too far away: in regard to the negative attitude after Bosnia Yugoslavia and Macedonia follow with 49% and Croatia with 47%.
Source: www.forum.com.mk
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