The leaving out of the adjective “Macedonian” in this year’s report of the EC is an inherited practice, EU Commissioner Stefan Fule replied to Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki’s remark. With the explanation that Fule gave Poposki at their meeting in Strasbourg Tuesday he reiterated once again the statement he made after the release of the report that this is not about ignoring the adjective “Macedonian” but about an established practice. Poposki told Fule that this practice is unprincipled and that in the previous reports on Macedonia and also on countries of the region the Macedonian identity parameters were unambiguously stated. The minister also added he expected the Commission to be the first to stand up in defense of these values.

Commissioner Fule’s Office said that the EU had not changed its approach to Macedonia’s name and rejected all speculations and accusations of a new approach to the name issue and Macedonia.