Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski met with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann in Vienna Monday. They discussed Macedonia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration and the possibilities for promoting the economic cooperation between the two countries. PM Gruevski stressed on that occasion the problem of the Greek block and the role of the European Council in unblocking this process. Gruevski appealed that Macedonia be set a date for opening membership negotiation without having resolved the name issue considering the European Commission stated for three years in a row that Macedonia carried out reforms and made progress. The idea is for Macedonia to benefit from Austria’s position in resolving the name issue with Greece.

Vienna believes that a substantial part of the pressure of the EU should be put on Athens to make it show more understanding for the resolution of the problem. Austria is arguing for a model of screening without a defined date for negotiations. Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki sent Monday a letter with the same appeal to his counterparts of the EU member states.