It is very good to be back in Skopje. Thank you very much for the very warm welcome. North Macedonia has shown time and again that it can take bold decisions about its future. The Prespa Agreement was a moment of real political courage with two countries choosing to turn the page and write the next chapter of their history together. It opened the door to NATO membership. Today, North Macedonia is a valued ally. Similarly in the European Union, we are building our security together. You were the first country in the region we signed a Security and Defence Partnership with. The European Peace Facility is at work to modernise your armed forces. And you are also part of the Coalition of the Willing. Because when a friend and fellow European nation came under attack, North Macedonia stood up. And your resolve to support Ukraine has been as strong as our Union's. We are very grateful for that.
Dear Hristijan,
This is the North Macedonia we know. A country that stands its ground. A country that belongs at the European table. So, my first message is this: clearly, you belong with us. With incredible hard work and dedication, the accession negotiations started in 2022. And the screening process was done in less than a year. And now there is one key step you need to take so that you can move forward and open the 'fundamentals' cluster. I know the sensitivities around it. But I also want to be very clear about what Europe stands for. We welcome North Macedonia with its identity and its language. We believe that the Macedonian culture and language can only make our Union richer. Because our motto is 'diversity in unity'. And we take it very seriously.
And this leads me to my second point. I want to talk about the results of our Growth Plan. You know the principle. We bring European investment. And, as you prepare to join the European Union, we open parts of our Single Market to your companies . At the same time, you adopt the key reforms needed for your companies to compete and thrive in our Single Market. This is how your economy can gradually converge with the Single Market of the European Union. North Macedonia has made the Growth Plan a real success. This is also thanks to your personal engagement and commitment. You have already received €140 million. With more payments in the coming weeks. The progress is impressive. Let me give you good examples for the benefit. You have joined SEPA, the Single Euro Payments Area. Transaction fees have already fallen by more than 90%. Together, we are also reducing roaming charges. Because it is a great way of bringing people closer together. And North Macedonia is joining Europe's AI infrastructure. This new AI Factory Antenna, called VEZILKA will give your companies, start-ups and researchers access to Europe's computing power so that they can train their models on this supercomputer and develop more products. This is gradual integration at its best – there are many more example that show this. And it is at the heart of our vision for enlargement.
This leads to my third message. You are getting ready. And so are we. Because enlargement is of course a two-way process. Candidate countries must be ready to join. But we as the European Union must also be ready to welcome them. That is why we will present our pre-enlargement policy reviews next week. We will look at our institutions, our policies and our budget, at what has to be improved, what has to change to welcome candidate countries to the European Union. We want to make sure that our European Union is ready to become larger. And we will set out how to better protect what lies at the heart of Europe: our democratic values and the rule of law.
Dear Hristijan,
This morning, we discussed intensively North Macedonia's economic situation. It is outstanding. I will not go in detail because it is your turf. But you can seize this unprecedented momentum in the region. And of course, Europe will be by your side. Because we want to bring the people of North Macedonia in the European Union. This is our determination. Thank you for the excellent cooperation.
And thank you for your attention.
