North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova has asked the European Union to help find a “creative solution” to unblock the country’s stalled accession process, during her meeting on Tuesday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Skopje, her office said on Wednesday.
According to a statement from the president’s cabinet, Siljanovska-Davkova said that the EU’s acceptance of the Western Balkan countries was not only a question of enlargement but also a matter of European security and stability.
“President Siljanovska-Davkova expects assistance from the Union in finding a creative way forward to unblock Macedonia’s European integration, as the admission of the Western Balkans into the EU is not only a technical process of enlargement but an issue that directly affects Europe’s stability and security,” the statement said.
She welcomed the ongoing EU initiative to reform the decision-making process, including the possibility of introducing qualified majority voting on enlargement issues, describing it as a “brave decision” that could mark an important step forward in the integration process.
The meeting took place during von der Leyen’s regional tour of the Western Balkans, during which she also met Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi. Siljanovska-Davkova described the visit as encouraging and motivating for the European reintegration of the region.
The president reiterated North Macedonia’s commitment to full EU membership, warning against “the replication of the precedent of bilateralization” in the accession process — where bilateral disputes are used to block progress outside the Copenhagen criteria.
Siljanovska-Davkova drew a comparison between the Baltic and the Balkan regions, noting that while EU member states in the Baltics supported their neighbors’ integration, “some member states in the Balkans use their privileged position to impose conditions and block their neighbors’ political path to Brussels.”
She also expressed readiness to resume dialogue with Bulgaria after the conclusion of the upcoming local elections, her office said.
During the meeting, Siljanovska-Davkova emphasized the need to focus national efforts on judicial reforms and a relentless fight against corruption and organized crime. She also highlighted regional cooperation initiatives such as SEPA, the Western Balkans roaming zone, the “Vezilka” National Center for Artificial Intelligence, and the Horizon program, along with major infrastructure projects like Corridors 8 and 10.
At the end of the talks, von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU’s “clear political will among all 27 member states to accelerate the reintegration of the Balkans” and praised North Macedonia’s progress under the Growth Plan, saying the country “deserves to move forward.”