Fourteenth Quarterly Accession Watch Report ARRANGED MARRIAGE?! August 2012 ARRANGED MARRIAGE?! Fourteenth Quarterly Accession Watch Report Publisher: Foundation Open Society - Macedonia For the publisher: Vladimir Milcin, Executive Director Prepared by: Macedonian Center for European Training and Foundation Open Society - Macedonia Proofreading and Translation into English: Abacus Design & Layout: Brigada design, Skopje Print: Propoint Circulation: 500 Free/Noncommercial circulation CIP - Каталогизација во публикација Национална и универзитетска библиотека "Св. Климент Охридски", Скопје 341.171.071.51(4-672ЕУ:497.7)"2012" БРАК од интерес?! : четиринаесетти извештај од следењето на процесот на пристапување на Македонија во ЕУ. - Скопје : Фондација отворено општество - Македонија, 2012. - 56, 56 стр. ; 21 см Насл. стр. на припечатениот текст: Arranged mariagge. - Обата текста меѓусебно печатени во спротивни насоки. - Текст на мак. и англ. јазик ISBN 978-608-218-152-3 а) Македонија - Зачленување - Европска унија - 2012 COBISS.MK-ID 92203018 CONTENTS WHERE ARE WE IN AUGUST 2012? 5 2.5. Penniless Roma Decade 31 1. CONFUSED CITIZENS 7 2.6. VMRO-stigma 31 2. REGIONAL DIALOGUES 8 3. NEW WAVE REFORMS 33 3. RECOMMENDATION... YET AGAIN 10 3.1. Improved management (with the new wave)?! 33 4. NEW INSTRUMENT OR...? 11 3.2. It’s not what you do, but how you present it 36 5. WHAT IS INCLUSIVENESS? 12 3.3. Decentralizing the illusion 37 6. SUSPICIOUS ROADMAP 13 4. PROBLEMATIC ELECTIONS 38 7. METHODOLOGY 16 4.1. Too many committees, too little results 39 II.ANALYSIS 19 4.2. Selective justice 40 1. MACEDONIA AND HAMLET’S DILEMMA 19 4.3. Government and party – Siamese twins 41 1.1. “(Non)sticking” agreement?! 20 4.4. Demented Government 43 1.2. Judges – knowledgeable ignorants! 22 4.5. Count without Census 44 1.3. National expertise not used 24 5. ECONOMY –MEASURES FOR 2016? 46 1.4. Register of the already registered 24 5.1. Deleting exercise 47 2. RULE OVER LAW 25 5.2. Where are the unemployed? 48 2.1. Plenty of room for Skopje 2014 26 5.3. Study for a GPA of 9.57% 48 2.2. Nepotism in the judiciary 27 5.4. Roadmap to nowhere?! 49 2.3. Bottled corruption 29 5.5. Business climate 50 2.4. Omnipresent Minister? 30 5.6. Economic policy-making in the Roadmap 52 ...I... n August 2012, Republic of Macedonia has still not resolved the name dispute with Greece, while on 1 July 2012 Cyprus took the EU Presidency from Denmark. This reporting period was marked by the NATO Summit in Chicago where, yet again, Macedonia was not invited Ito join the alliance under the interim name reference, as it had hoped following the favourable ruling of the International Court of Justice in the WHERE ARE WE Hague. In the same period, the Macedonian Government developed and adopted the first Roadmap for Implementation of Priority Activities in the IN AUGUST 2012? High Level Accession Dialogue (HLAD), a new instrument of the European Commission (EC) designed to assist Macedonia in its EU accession process. Ninth meeting of EU-Macedonia Stabilization and Association Council was held on 24 July 2012 in Brussels, chaired by the Cyprian Presidency. On 31 July 2012, the Government presented the Parliament with the “Report of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia to the European Commission on the status of the Roadmap for Implementation of Priority Activities in 5 Fourteenth Quarterly Accession Watch Report the High Level Accession Dialogue“ (hereinafter: the Report), which was that this document has made no reference to the Republic of Macedonia, also discussed on the meeting between the Secretariat for European Affairs including in the section on EU enlargement. (SEA) and civil society organizations held the following day, i.e., 1 August Such practices continue, as confirmed with the fact that Republic of 2012. Internal divisions were further entrenched, along ethnic lines, but Macedonia is also absent in the Cyprian EU Presidency’s Agenda. Namely, also in regard to many other societal issues; however, most worrying is the Cyprus EU Agenda is straightforward, i.e., it will work Towards a Better distinction made between patriots and traitors. Europe, meaning a European Union more relevant to its citizens and to the world; a more effective Europe, contributing to sustainable growth, Danish EU Presidency, whose agenda was titled “A responsible social cohesion and job creation through efficient and integrated Europe”, came to an end. Good results were delivered under all priority policies; a European Union working on the basis of the underlying areas defined, those being: dynamic Europe, green Europe, safe Europe, principle of solidarity, committing itself to a better future. Obvious is as well as negotiations for EU budget ceilings and reforms of major that the Cyprian Presidency will focus on the priority defined “EU as underlying policy areas. a Global Player”, thus reinstating EU’s place in international matters. As concerns EU enlargement, Danish Presidency did not promise more These commitments are correlated with four main priorities: 1) Europe, than the usual commitment, i.e., “it will support the wish of EU neighbouring more efficient and sustainable; 2) Europe, with a better performing and countries for closer cooperation, including access to EU markets, and will growth-based economy; 3) Europe, more relevant to its citizens, with 1 contribute to ensuring the continuation of the enlargement process“ . The solidarity and social cohesion; and 4) Europe in the world, closer to its document on Danish Presidency’s results indicates that: “countries of the neighbours. Western Balkans have taken further steps towards making their European Based on foreign affairs priorities defined by the Cyprian Presidency, perspective more concrete”, followed by breakdown of specific results: including EU enlargement, clear is that Cyprus is more interested in “Member State ratifications of the Accession Treaty that is to ensure the countries from the New European Neighbourhood than Western Balkans. accession of Croatia as an official EU Member State as of 1 July 2013 is Such focus is to be expected, given Cyprus’s direct links to Mediterranean well underway. Serbia has been granted candidate status during the Danish countries, which makes the efforts for better relations with these Presidency and accession negotiations have been initiated with Montenegro. countries obvious. The only reference made to Western Balkans under This shows that despite the economic crisis, the EU is still attractive to new Cyprus’ EU Presidency Agenda reads: “the Presidency will also promote members. During the Danish Presidency, an important contribution has thus all processes related to enlargement and work towards strengthening food been made towards further stabilisation of a region which only 15 years ago security, aiming to give emphasis on EU development goals“3. How these was characterised by war and devastation. Furthermore, substantial progress priorities will affect the overall enlargement process remains to be seen 2 has been made in the enlargement negotiations with Iceland“ .Evident is in December, when Cyprian Presidency is to present its results. 1 http://eu2012.dk/en/EU-and-the-Presidency/About-the-Presidency/~/media/Files/ Trykt%20materiale/Brochure/EU_Presidency_Brochure_UK.pdf 2 http://eu2012.dk/en/NewsList/Juni/Uge-26/~/media/702749D703AB4F1790A110951A2 2E8FE.pdf 3 http://www.cy2012.eu/index.php/en/file/x8yAAZB3R8D2nxXo9+AUZw==/ 6 WHERE ARE WE IN AUGUST 2012? 1. CONFUSED CITIZENS Encouragement for such reasoning came from EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fule. From his last visit to Macedonia, Fule’s Previous Quarterly Accession Watch Report4 already warned that rhetoric had completely changed. On one hand, statements such as: “I dissonance in regard to HLAD targets and outcomes could trigger more am pleased to see new dynamic in bringing the EU Agenda in the forefront problems, which at the time being are not so prominent (difficulties may of the debate. Despite the many challenging issues ahead, EU agenda is arise in regard to managing citizens’ high expectations, while the name in the centre of the debate. Significant progress has been achieved, having dispute, which is an actual problem, would not be resolved as long as in mind the short time elapsed between the two meetings. Conclusions Brussels delivers compliments and unrealistic assessments, and there is agreed on the first HLAD meeting in March and concerning all six priority imminent risk of silencing criticism for governmental policies, notably areas have been implemented, which is very important. I am satisfied with due to the futility of HLAD as a process, which in turn will provide the Roadmap adopted by the Government in April, and now it is important an atmosphere conductive to expansion of EU-phobic sentiments in to focus all efforts on its implementation and consider the Roadmap as Macedonia). a living document”7 encourage the Government, but on the other hand If Prime Minister Gruevski previously claimed that HLAD is a bridge confuse the journalists who are to inform the public and the citizens towards EU accession negotiations and that by pursuing these talks less knowledgeable of matters related to EU integration. Macedonia by-passes Greece’s veto5, today the number of spokespersons A close scrutiny of Fule’s statement raises new questions and who share his rhetoric is rapidly growing. Following suit, Antonio Milososki dilemmas. Particularly worrying is the statement “I am satisfied with the stated that HLAD represents “shortcut to compensate time wasted due to Roadmap adopted by the Government...“, as the analysis of the Roadmap Greece’s obstruction...“ while, MP Silvana Boneva – deliberately or not – presented in this report does not allow such optimism. believes that Macedonia is already deeply invested in EU membership Citizens are not alone in being unable to decipher these confusing negotiations and hopes that “in near future, in addition to the these two messages. Namely, on one hand, they are presented with information [Chapters 23 and 24] Macedonia will open other negotiation chapters...6”.