Vigenin in Skopje: Good roads and reliable rail links in the region are not secondary issues

“Corridor VIII must connect us, not divide us. It can boost trade, mobility and regional development and give North Macedonia better links with both the Adriatic and the Black Sea. After so many years of plans and promises, citizens on both sides of the border must finally see the railway line actually being built.” This was stated by Bulgarian MEP Kristian Vigenin during the 25th meeting of the EU – North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee in Skopje.

Vigenin took part as a member of the European Parliament delegation in the two-day talks with the Parliament of North Macedonia, as well as in meetings with the Head of the EU Delegation Michalis Rokas, the Speaker of Parliament Afrim Gashi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski, representatives of civil society, the diplomatic corps and the main political forces in the country.

Vigenin believes that good roads, modern border crossings and reliable rail links are decisive for the free movement of people and goods between North Macedonia, Bulgaria and the EU, and stressed that the implementation of transport projects has remained far too slow for far too long. He also drew attention to the European Commission’s announced intention to speed up the construction of the so-called Middle Corridor, which will link Central Asia and the South Caucasus with the European Union, a project in which Bulgaria has been assigned a significant role.

The meeting discussed the state of the media and of the civil sector. In his speech Vigenin stressed: “Free media and a strong civil society are not simply formal requirements to be ticked off as fulfilled in the accession progress report.” He acknowledged the positive changes in media legislation, but pointed to the continuing problems of pressure and threats against journalists and the risks of self-censorship. Vigenin expressed concern about the tone of public debate: “Disagreements between neighbours are inevitable. Hate speech, threats or the persecution of citizens because of their identity are not.”

He singled out the case of Iva Mihaylova as particularly sensitive and called on the Macedonian authorities to commit to resolving it, since access to adequate healthcare is a fundamental human right that cannot be violated.“Given that Macedonian doctors themselves have clearly stated that they cannot provide the necessary care, Iva Mihaylova must be allowed to receive treatment in Bulgaria or another member state,” Vigenin insisted.

Progress in the process of North Macedonia’s accession to the EU was noted in the conclusions adopted by the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which once again underlined the need to fulfil the commitments made in the 2022 Negotiating Framework, the most important element of which is the constitutional changes. “Europe can support reforms. But it cannot carry them out on behalf of the candidate country,” Vigenin said in conclusion, adding that further progress for the country depends on objective and measurable results and on the necessary domestic political decisions.

Later, the Bulgarian MEP also took part in the opening of the Civil Forum “Citizens at the Heart of EU Enlargement”, organised by the European Parliament and the Parliament of North Macedonia.