Najważniejsze problemy Macedonii w procesie integracji z Unią Europejską

Since 1991, when Macedonia became independent, integration with Western structures – the European Union and the NATO – has been its main foreign policy objective. All Macedonian governments have consi¬stently worked towards implementing the political, economic and social reforms required by the Copenhagen criteria. To a certain extent, the EU appreciated Macedonia’s efforts: in 2005, it granted Macedonia, known as FYROM, the status of a candidate country. However, the implementation of internal reforms alone has proved insufficient to commence the acces¬sion negotiations. The path to the EU is still blocked by unsettled issu¬es with Greece and Bulgaria. The government in Athens demands that Macedonia settle the dispute over its name and accuses it of appropria¬ting Greek historical heritage. Sofia, in turn, accuses Skopje of falsifying history and discriminating against the Bulgarian minority living on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia.