PM Gruevski meets EU Enlargement Commissioner Fule

Brussels, 16 September 2010 (MIA) - Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski held talks Thursday in Brussels with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, focused on the progress of Macedonia's reforms towards the Union's membership and the name negotiations.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Gruevski said he presented Macedonia's position on the name issue and everything that had been done thus far in favor of its settlement.

Macedonia has been making efforts for solving the problem, but Greece may not be planning such outcome for a long period and this possibility should be addressed, Gruevski said. So the EU should consider an option to set a date for Macedonia's accession talks even if the name issue remained unsettled, the PM said.

Gruevski said that neither he nor his Greek colleague George Papandreou showed interest to meet during their visit to Brussels. We may however meet on some other occasion or other place, the PM said.

Earlier today, Gruevski had a meeting with several MEPs, discussing the developments in Macedonia, its reform process, the name dispute.

After the meeting, European Parliament's rapporteur for Macedonia Zoran Thaler said he expected positive European Commission's report on the country's progress towards the Union's membership, as it advanced in regard to reforms and was more successful in mitigating the consequences of the economic crisis in comparison with many other European countries.

- I hope for a positive report in November. Substantial progress has been made in overall reforms, but there are also spheres that require additional efforts. All remarks will be precisely notified in the report, which are not a result of Brussels' desire for criticism, but for granting assistance to the country to synchronize with the EU standards, Thaler said.

On Wednesday evening, the PM participated at a summit of the European People's Party, where he held brief meetings with President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EPP President and Secretary General Wilfried Martens and Antonio Lopez Isturiz respectively, as well as with Joseph Dau, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. Talks focused on the situation in Macedonia and reforms necessary for country's integration to EU.