EU Accession, Bilateral Relations Discussed during North Macedonia PM's Luxembourg Visit

On Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 March 2021, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, undertook a working visit to Luxembourg.

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel met with his North Macedonian counterpart for a bilateral meeting at Hôtel Saint Maximin (Ministry of State). North Macedonia's Prime Minister also met with Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, for a working meeting at Senningen Castle.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's working visit provided an opportunity to take stock of bilateral relations between Luxembourg and the Republic of North Macedonia. The accession process of this candidate country to the European Union (EU) as well as European and international current affairs were also on the agenda.

During their meeting at Senningen Castle, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Minister Jean Asselborn took stock of bilateral relations and discussed their development prospects, particularly in the political, economic and cultural fields. Afterwards, they had an in-depth exchange of views on the European integration of North Macedonia. Minister Jean Asselborn reiterated Luxembourg's support for the process of accession to the EU of North Macedonia. He praised the many tangible progress that the North Macedonian government has made in recent years. For its part, Luxembourg is supporting North Macedonia on its path of European integration through technical assistance programmes, in particular in cooperation with the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) in Luxembourg.

The ministers also reviewed the latest regional developments in the Western Balkans and took stock of the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the financial support provided by the EU in this context.

Following the bilateral meeting with his North Macedonian counterpart, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel commented: “I congratulate North Macedonia for taking courageous decisions to advance the country's reform process. We know the essential role of the Western Balkans for the stability of the whole Union. Prespa's precious agreement helped accelerate the country's European integration. I thank Zoran Zaev for our constructive discussions and encourage him to continue strengthening the rule of law, among other things through the reform of the judicial system and the fight against corruption”.