Is anyone in Macedonia worried about the European Union’s poor report? Or that Moldova will soon open the first clusters in its accession talks? Society is already living in a dystopian story.
By Ljupcho Popovski
On Tuesday evening, at the elegant Art Deco cultural center “Bozar” in Brussels, Moldovan representatives, including President Maia Sandu, celebrated their country’s remarkable breakthrough on the road to the EU, following the release of the European Commission’s annual reports. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos grouped the candidate countries according to their progress: Montenegro and Albania topped the list — joined now by Moldova and Ukraine.
She praised Albania for its “unprecedented progress” in a short period, while Moldova made the greatest leap of all within a year — despite the constant pressure of Russian hybrid threats. The country announced plans to open accession clusters in November. Then came the second group: North Macedonia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The assessment for Moldova is no small thing. It’s monumental, given that hardly anyone in Europe spoke of the country before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The fragile but steely Maia Sandu — European to the core — managed to put her country high on the EU’s agenda. She won a second presidential term last year; a referendum confirmed Moldova’s will to join the EU, and in September her party won the parliamentary elections by a wide margin.
There were, therefore, reasons to celebrate. Sandu came to Brussels, where Marta Kos personally handed her the progress report. Commissioners, diplomats, and a whole phalanx of MEPs gathered in Bozar. Moldovan champagne was served — the country is famous for its wine — including Cricova Brut and Purcari Freedom Blend, a dry red made from grapes from Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine — all countries facing Russian aggression. With optimism in the air, Sandu said her nation had “kept democracy alive” despite the wave of “hybrid attacks.” Kos, in turn, gave a warm speech full of praise.
At a Euronews summit, Sandu warned that if Moldova fails to join the EU within three years, its sovereignty would be in danger. “Russia can’t reach Moldova now because Ukraine is resisting,” she said, “but Russia could reclaim Moldova’s sovereignty by placing loyal people in key positions — people it can control — who would do what the Kremlin wants, not what’s good for our citizens.”
Some have reasons to celebrate. Others just tick boxes showing “progress.” Others still wonder why they’ve slipped into a lower category. If you compare the reports detailing alignment with EU regulations, out of 33 chapters, Montenegro moved forward in 12, Albania in six, and Macedonia — by just half a chapter (joining the SEPA system for free capital movement). This small step, or simply standing still, isn’t new. As analyst Simonida Kacarska notes, the problem isn’t constitutional amendments but the lack of reforms — everything has stopped. While we stay still or move backward, others advance and deliver.
A Dystopian Conspiracy
Let’s turn to dystopia — to the individual and his relationship with the state.
It’s been 27 years since Jim Carrey appeared in the remarkable psychological drama The Truman Show (part comedy, part sci-fi thriller) — a vision of dystopia and a prelude to Big Brother.
Briefly: the film follows Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman whose entire life, unbeknownst to him, unfolds not on the island of Seahaven but on a massive film set. His wife, best friend, even his mother — all are paid actors, desperate to keep the illusion alive. The strings are pulled by the godlike director Christof, controlling the show from his “moon.”
The show runs for 30 years, from Truman’s birth. Gradually, he notices strange anomalies — a stage light falling from the sky, a rain cloud that follows only him, a radio transmission describing his movements. Slowly, he realizes his world is fake. Christof deploys his most potent weapon: Truman’s best friend, who reassures him, “Think about it, Truman. If everyone were in on it, I’d have to be too.”
As The Guardian’s critic once wrote, Peter Weir suggests we live in a “Stasi world” — an authoritarianism that infects the home, poisons our words, and demands moral conformity to maintain the status quo. After all the trials, Truman escapes the island — and viewers immediately call for a new show featuring more unwitting participants in a staged world.
The Macedonian Truman Show
For many, Macedonia over the past three decades resembles The Truman Show. The nation seems to live by a script in which it’s perpetually frightened — of external enemies, hostile states, nations that want to subjugate, belittle, or erase it. The fear isn’t unfounded — but the question isn’t how to suppress it, but how to overcome it.
In Macedonia’s “Truman Show,” the actors are vast armies — eager to live in a cinematic set run by many directors, not just one Christof. The script changes daily, hourly, but the core narrative remains the same.
Take, for instance, the reactions of the last few days to the European Commission’s report. The ruling VMRO-DPMNE, in a confused statement, claimed that “as in many past cases, such reports are used for political conditioning, pressure, and the country’s dynamics.” Yet, the party added, the report was “excellent” because it encouraged reforms.
“Macedonia will continue with reforms regardless of the diopter,” it said. “But it’s clear to us that reports like this will continue until a solution is found with Bulgaria. Nevertheless, the report is excellent and encourages us to continue on the path of reforms.”
The next day, the Truman Show continued when Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski declared: “Let’s do the constitutional changes, become the best, then get another veto and new problems — and we’ll still get top marks and be champions. I’m extremely satisfied; there’s no backsliding. I can’t agree that others are ahead of us. For instance, we’re far ahead of Albania. Objectively, Montenegro is first, we and Serbia are second, then come Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo.” Moldova? What country is that?
European Directors and the Macedonian Casting
To some, comparing this vaudeville tale to The Truman Show might seem pretentious. But this is manipulation aimed squarely at the domestic audience — those faithfully watching VMRO’s reality show. There’s also manipulation in the government’s press release after the joint press conference of Mickoski and EU Ambassador Michalis Rokas. Publishing the PM’s remarks, the government titled the release: “Mickoski: Macedonia remains committed to the European path, but without double standards and political pressure.” The problem: nowhere in his statement did Mickoski mention double standards or pressure. But it’s convenient for media headlines and aggregators — even if it’s not true. Just as it isn’t true that Macedonia is ahead of Albania. Yet, clearly, the prime minister wants to keep Serbia as our “brotherly” partner.
In any case, prepare for new episodes of the Macedonian Truman Show. The European “directors” no longer know what to do with the Macedonian cast. The Americans seem to have lost interest in this show, whose viewership keeps dropping — kept alive only by domestic artificials boosting its ratings. For now, anyway — until the very last man says:
“Moldova? Which Moldova? Albania? Don’t mention it. Montenegro? It wasn’t even a state when we got candidate status. And remember how we cleaned Skopje of garbage in 72 hours? That was like the Normandy landing. Who else can do that?”
Source: DW in Macedonian Language