Jozo Radoš is worried that political crisis in Macedonia could spread to other countries.
There is a major danger that the current political crisis in Macedonia could grow into inter-ethnic and inter-state conflicts which could affect the wider region of the Western Balkans, warned Member of European Parliament Jozo Radoš (HNS-ALDE), who spoke on behalf of the European Liberals MEPs at the plenary session of the European Parliament, reports Večernji List on April 6, 2017.
He stressed that, among the countries of the Western Balkans, Macedonia has been stilled in its European path the longest. He noted that there was no progress, adding that as far as joining the European Union is concerned “Macedonia today is in a worse position than it was a decade ago.”
Macedonia is a country that goes from crisis to crisis, said Radoš, adding that the Macedonian case showed how young democracies in certain countries can be stopped in their development and that fragile democratic process can be turned backwards. He warned about the humiliation of Macedonia by the European Union and the European Parliament in these processes.
“Macedonia has been left without a European perspective. In some ways, during the past ten years, it has been humiliated as well. This feeling of abandonment has certainly intensified the negative tendencies in the country and contributed to the deepening of the crisis,” said Croatia’s Member of the European Parliament.
It is well-known that the European Union does have some powerful mechanisms for responding to such crises. “In addition to issuing calls and expressing support, the European Union should lead clear and thoughtful policies towards the Western Balkans. The current crisis is partly the result of the absence of greater presence of the European Union in Macedonia,” concluded Radoš.
Jozo Radoš is member of HNS. From 2000 to 2002, he was Croatia’s defence minister in a coalition government led by then SDP president Ivica Račan. He has been elected to the Croatian Parliament several times, and in 2014 he has been elected as member of European Parliament, where he is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
