1 I’m looking forward to the statements of Dimitar Kovachevski and Hristijan Mickoski after the leadership meeting, which hasn’t yet been scheduled. Kovachevski says to Mickoski “I’ll call you”, although he still hasn’t sent him an invitation, and Mickoski replies “I’ll come, but it’s all in vain”. Kovachevski will demand changing the Constitution. Mickoski will demand elections.

No one knows when the meeting will take place, but the excitement is already growing. Of course, we’ll even adjust our holiday plans according to the meeting. We wouldn’t miss yet another dialogue of the deaf.

2 Meanwhile, excitement is also growing in the European Union. While the EU has kept the Western Balkans as far away from Europe as possible for twenty years by inventing new methodologies, benchmarks, special accession protocols to find thousands of excuses why it can’t fulfil its own promises, several countries made their way in it, Russia, China and Turkey, and in the case with Bosnia Herzegovina even Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran, buy when Putin started knocking on the Ukrainian door, it finally occurred to it – we must bring the Western Balkans into the EU.

Then do it. Let us join. Stop nitpicking.

The Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg, made things very clear at the “GLOBSEK” conference in Bratislava, when he told his EU partners that “we are as crazy to let other countries move in”. He referred to history textbooks. “If you don’t have lasting stability and prosperity in Southeastern Europe, normally you don’t have lasting stability in Central Europe. And we know in history, in the last two centuries what happens if in Central Europe something goes wrong”, Schallenberg said. Regarding the debates being held in the EU, that the EU should reform itself in order to be able to receive new members, he said they are rubbish. “We have everything!” We have prepared exactly for the scenario of having the Western Balkans states join the European Union”.

In a pickle, huh? In a pickle, indeed.

In Bratislava, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented some new approach to enlargement and talked about some four pillars. Everything she said sounded very nice. Although, to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure if it’s worth taking seriously. We see again and again that the European Commission makes promises, but the member states don’t deliver. Von der Leyen’s word is not relevant and valid in Sofia. If it’s not valid in Sofia, then it’s not valid in the other 26 member states. We haven’t learned much but we have learned that, how the EU works. We learned it the hard way. All for one, even when that specific one is no good.

It seems to me that this “momentum” and facing reality will be like the leadership meeting in our country where there are already invitations, but it’s in vain. So, the EU suddenly shows interest in us. They say they need us, but at the same time they don’t tell us when they’ll let us join them. Neither do they tell us if they’ll even let us join them.

3 Until three years ago, we were Euroenthusiasts and naively thought that the EU would help us establish a well-governed state, a pleasant and healthy place to live, that it would help us fight against poverty and corruption. Our only concern was that perhaps the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden… would veto us if we elected an autocratic government, if we didn’t respect human rights, if we stifled freedom of speech and expression, if we stole from the European pre-accession funds… Who in their right mind would think that they’d support a veto over made up and absurd bilateral disputes, or even worse, that they’d force us to negotiate over our identity? Apparently we had some different understanding of European values. Apparently, we didn’t know it was a European value to prove someone who you are and what you are. No wonder we doubt whether the European Union respects its values in the first place.

That’s why you need to stop pulling the wool over our eyes saying that it depends only on us whether we will continue the accession talks, since we all saw that’s not the case. People in Brussels should agree on this – Does our European integration depend on our achievements? Or does it depend on Bulgaria?

It’s simple. Just as the Constitutional change with the change of our name guaranteed entry into NATO, now we need guarantees that once we include Bulgarians in our Constitution we will join the EU. If you can’t tell us a date when you’d let us in, then at least give us a guarantee that there won’t be another veto against Macedonia. Regardless of the subject matter of that potential new veto, considering the fact that we haven’t had a “normal” veto so far, but a veto inspired by rage and bullying.

No more vetoes. Period. If you had a limit on the vetoes you’re allowed to use, you’ve spent all of them on Macedonia. On nonsense.

4 I hope the next veto coming from the EU won’t be on the topic of corruption. We’d never be able to keep pace with Bulgaria, which has stolen hundreds of millions of euros from the pre-accession funds. I believe our politicians do have a huge capacity for corruption, but still, they are no match for Bulgaria. It’s an EU member state after all.

It’s very interesting that in our country no official can be dismissed, even if the State Auditor discovers financial irregularities in the institution he manages, or if the Anti-Corruption Commission points to corrupt activities. Whatever the say – doesn’t matter. Since the Government respects the presumption of innocence.

Imagine the auditor went to a private company and discovered that a director worked wastefully, had bad results, couldn’t prove how he had spent the money, and the owner of the company said: Sorry, but no, I’ll respect the presumption of innocence. I can’t see that happening. If 2+2 didn’t equal 4 he’d immediately replace him. He wouldn’t wait for his employee to prove his innocence in court.

I don’t know what use is the Anti-Corruption Commission, whose election was followed through direct broadcasts on the Assembly channel, since the Assembly hasn’t seen their reports for two years and since the Government doesn’t care about their findings on corrupt deals. What use is the State Auditor, if the Government doesn’t replace the ones whose 2+2 are not 4 and when it’s discovered that they worked wastefully and irresponsibly? It’s not like we’re firing them. We’re just replacing them with someone else and their salary will be reduced by 78 percent because they won’t be officials anymore. What’s so tragic in replacing someone whom a state institution determined he was not doing his job? Fighting corruption isn’t only when someone ends up in court. Fighting corruption is when an institution doing its job indicates someone is corrupt. Non-governmental organizations and media analyse the reports of public procurement and the state auditor and they find countless irregularities, but the Government respects the presumption of innocence.

It turns out an official or a director of a public company can be replaced only if found guilty of corruption. This in itself means that an official can be replaced only if a new party comes to power.

If the Government had showed at least some political will to really fight corruption, by leading by example, then perhaps the prosecutors would have found the courage to at least read the reports of the State Auditor.

This example of the state not respecting its own state institutions is a unique way of governing. Don’t forget we have a deputy prime minister for good governance. The Government is imposing a political climate where no one is held responsible for not doing their job properly.

Translated by Nikola Gjelincheski