Commissioner for European Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, gave the following statement on latest developments in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia:
“I take note of the decisions taken today to conduct early elections on 24 April as foreseen in the Przno agreement. But as stated, I would have preferred a consensual solution by all parties. Now it is critically important that all political and institutional actors in the country do their utmost to ensure fair elections in line with democratic standards. To achieve this, the urgent preparatory work must be stepped up, notably on the voters’ list.
Despite the failure to find a common agreement on the election date, I expect all political parties to cooperate constructively and to stick to all their commitments under the June/July political agreement, including the urgent reform priorities”