EU pushes Macedonia to implement reforms needed to join bloc

SKOPJE, Macedonia – A senior European Union official has praised Macedonia’s progress in efforts to join the EU, but warned the Balkan country needs to successfully implement its promised reforms if it is to join the bloc.

Speaking at a news conference with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in the capital Skopje, EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn on Wednesday also urged the country’s leadership to solve a decades-long dispute with neighbouring Greece over Macedonia’s name, to remove the last obstacle for Macedonia to join the EU.

The Commission recommended Tuesday that the EU launch membership talks with Albania and Macedonia, even as enthusiasm for enlargement of the 28-nation bloc fades.

The EU’s executive arm, which monitors reform progress among the Western Balkan countries hoping to join, said the two are on the right path.