Filipçe warns: Macedonia at risk of being isolated from the European path

SDSM leader Venko Filipçe has raised deep concerns about the progress of Macedonia’s European integration during a meeting with a delegation from the French Senate. He strongly criticized the way the current government is managing the process.

According to Filipçe, the government’s policy failures in key sectors have already been reflected in the European Commission’s official documents, particularly in the areas of the rule of law, the judicial system and media freedom.

“I am deeply concerned about the country’s European trajectory and the results this government has demonstrated in recent months in several key areas. This performance has drawn criticism from European institutions, which have addressed it in the European Commission’s reports on several particularly important fields. In terms of the rule of law, we are witnessing public criticism by the prime minister that I consider unacceptable, including calls directed at certain judges and prosecutors, and similar actions. Moreover, the inadequate funds allocated to the judiciary should not be the case, since adequate funding in line with European standards is one of the steps that strengthens the system, especially in this difficult situation of low trust in the justice system,” Filipçe said.

In his remarks, he also focused on documented problems in the area of media pluralism, where the European Commission has identified pressure and concerns. He added that another problematic element is the penetration of foreign media and the questionable procedure for granting operating licenses in the country.

“Pressure on the media is something that has been recorded in the media pluralism section on pages 4-5 of the European Commission’s report, along with some distortions we have seen in the previous period. In our country, around 40% of the media are in the hands of people linked to former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Television stations, portals and others. Meanwhile, recently we have seen strong pressure and the entry of Serbian media into the country, in a way that I would call illegal, because there are channels coming through Serbian Telekom that have secured a license irregularly from the independent regulator,” Filipçe stressed.

He warned that time is running out and that Macedonia is at real risk of being left behind as European doors open to other countries.