Is North Macedonia an EU country?
North Macedonia is not yet a member of the European Union (EU), but it has been a candidate country for several years. North Macedonia, formerly known as the Republic of Macedonia, has been seeking EU membership for a long time, and its membership process has progressed in stages.
Background of North Macedonia’s EU membership
North Macedonia received the status of an official EU candidate country in 2005. This was a significant step in the country’s EU membership aspirations. However, the start of membership negotiations has been delayed for several reasons, including political and territorial disputes.
Barriers to negotiations
One of the most significant obstacles to the start of North Macedonia’s EU membership negotiations was the long-standing name dispute with Greece. Greece objected to the country’s name “Macedonia” because it considered it to refer to the Macedonian region in northern Greece. This dispute was resolved in 2018 when the countries agreed that the Republic of Macedonia would change its name to North Macedonia.
Current situation
In 2020, the EU member states decided to start membership negotiations with North Macedonia. This decision was a significant step forward in the country’s EU membership aspirations. However, the negotiations are still ongoing, and their progress depends on many factors, such as the country’s internal reforms and the EU’s enlargement policy.
Future prospects
The future of North Macedonia’s EU membership looks promising, but it still requires significant efforts from both the country’s government and the EU. The success of the membership negotiations requires that North Macedonia continues to implement the necessary political, economic and legal reforms.
