Skopje Calling: Von der Leyen Reaffirms Accession Hopes in North Macedonia

BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in Skopje on 2 October, offering a public show of support for North Macedonia's path toward European Union membership. Speaking alongside Mickoski, the Commission chief praised the candidate country's ongoing efforts to align with European standards. The visit marks another milestone in the EU's diplomatic outreach across the Western Balkans, where aspiring members are expected to execute demanding legal, economic, and judicial reforms to move closer to integration.

For citizens in North Macedonia, entering the EU promises access to the world's largest single market, broader rights to travel and work, and targeted funding for public infrastructure. For current EU residents, expanding the bloc alters trade routes, shifts geopolitical stability on the continent's edges, and expands the pool of member states sharing a common lawbook. However, candidate status is famously long-winded: it requires adopting tens of thousands of pages of EU law, meaning ordinary citizens often endure years of domestic political wrangling before seeing tangible everyday benefits.

In the Brussels machinery, the European Commission acts as the examiner-in-chief and steady cheerleader for hopeful candidate countries. It measures progress, issues technical reports, and manages aid packages. Yet the Commission cannot grant entry. That power belongs exclusively to the Council of the European Union, where all 27 existing national governments sit. The accession process requires dividing EU law into 35 thematic areas known as 'negotiating chapters'—ranging from financial control to environmental rules. Moving from one chapter to the next demands absolute unanimity among member states. This design grants every current EU government an individual veto, meaning warm presidential visits in candidate capitals must always navigate the cooler political arithmetic of 27 national capitals.

Commission officials will continue tracking North Macedonia's legal and administrative progress, incorporating their findings into regular status reports for member-state diplomats in Brussels. Further movement along the formal accession pipeline will depend on whether candidate reforms satisfy all 27 EU governments, keeping the path from official statements to full membership a steady procedural marathon.