Making the good neighborly relations a crucial element in the process of enlargement, and making changes to the resolution concerning the freedom of media, trade union freedoms and female equality are some of the amendments of the Members of the European Parliament to the draft resolution on Macedonia’s progress drafted by the rapporteur for Macedonia at the European Parliament, Richard Howitt.

Howitt’s colleagues filed a total of 164 amendments for almost every article of the draft resolution. The discussion about the amendments started Tuesday afternoon and according to the expectations in the European Parliament, the MEPs are once again going to appeal to the EU Council to commence negotiations and the pre-screening process of the harmonization of the Macedonian legislation with the EU laws, as well as to implement the second stage of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, for which there is wide consent and support. For example, British MEP Charles Tannock says in his amendment that the credibility of the process of enlargement of the EU will be compromised by the continuous postponement of the membership negotiations.” The Greek MEP Maria Eleni Koppa shares his view yet adds that at the same time a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue needs to be found.