Belgian-Macedonian Business Club

by Ambassador Frédéric Meurice

On January 1, 2024, Belgium has taken over Spain the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It means that for the next 6 months, Belgium will be in the driving seat of one the main decision-making bodies of the Union. My country will have the opportunity to contribute greatly to the progress of the European idea and project. It is a mission Belgium takes with a sense of responsibility and with a sense of ambition. We know we are experienced (it is the 13th time that Belgium will have this Presidency) and we believe we are perceived by the other EU countries as a committed and a reliable partner. We know about compromise, how to foster them and how to make them acceptable. These elements should give us the ability to act and be accepted as an honest broker. If this is true, Belgium will bring a very valuable asset to the Presidency table.

Building on the work of the Trio of which we are part (Spain – Belgium – Hungary) and on the work of the past Spanish Presidency, Belgium will work to better protect our people and our borders, to strengthen our economy and our general resilience and to prepare the Union to the challenges which lie ahead.

Towards the Western Balkan and North Macedonia in particular, we will work to the best of our abilities to make progress in the enlargement process: we will call for an Intergovernmental Conference with North Macedonia as soon as the conditions are met; we will make sure the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkan and its many benefits for the region is ready to operate and to be implemented; we will look at all the possibilities that the Gradual Integration Process offer and make them a reality.

To make progress in the enlargement process:

• Intergovernmental Conference with North Macedonia
• New Growth Plan for the Western Balkan
• Possibilities that the Gradual Integration Process offer and make them a reality.

At the Embassy of Belgium to North Macedonia, we are looking forward to the contribution the Embassy can make to help materialize these ambitions. They can only serve the people of North Macedonia and bring them even closer to being part of the European family.

Frédéric Meurice

Ambassador of Belgium to the Republic of North Macedonia

Sofia