By Denko Maleski
Macedonia faces two debates before it can move forward with its stalled EU membership negotiations: one domestic and the other international.
The first is very important—arguably more important than the second: we need to clarify among ourselves what we want. From this perspective, the opposition’s initiative to start such a domestic dialogue is commendable. Unfortunately, the announced “resolution on red lines,” as the document being prepared by the SDSM is colloquially called, will once again show that we lack talent for dialogue. But it will also show that without results from domestic dialogue, there can be no success internationally, confronting us with the harsh reality of our politics, which must change precisely through such efforts. Realistically, the chances of a successful dialogue between the government and the opposition—“the Achilles’ heel” of our political system throughout all years of independence—are minimal.
If the day is judged by its morning, this is a very big bite for Macedonian politicians. The “Bulgarian issue” is one of those matters that, in the unipolar moment of world politics, when America “burned and blazed” not only with its opponents but also with allies, was resolved for us by foreigners. Those times are over. The echo of former U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill’s words is still heard: this is not 1991, when Balkan states asked Washington to solve their problems, but a time when we must solve them ourselves. Considering that—from the “debate” over the country’s UN membership to the recent topics on constitutional change—we have not managed to find a solution for a single major problem ourselves, the outcome of the upcoming debate is predictable. Especially now, before local elections, when every move by politicians is tied by opponents to the results of those elections.
Thus, the document “on the red lines of the Social Democrats,” intended to resolve our key international problem—the EU negotiations—may have the opposite effect of what is desired. The government may dig itself even deeper into the trenches it opened toward Bulgaria during the last parliamentary elections. In his speech for September 8, Prime Minister Mickovski used an unusual expression: he had waited for the opposition’s document “with patience.” The speechwriter thought that using the normal wording, “impatiently,” would signal a real desire for debate, so he invented a more threatening linguistic form that seems to say: just publish the document, I am waiting for you patiently. After all the harsh words about the previous government’s “treacherous role,” it is difficult to expect a different behavior from government representatives.
However, the attempt to activate the stalled mechanism that could move us forward in EU negotiations should be welcomed, as it is what is normal and necessary for the state and the people. SDSM leader Filipce said that prominent domestic and international experts are involved in drafting the announced document, and I personally look forward with impatience to see who they are and what they propose to unblock the EU negotiations.