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The Former Yugoslav Republic of MACEDONIA: EU perspective cements society together
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On 9 November 2005, the European Commission released its opinion on the readiness of the FYR of Macedonia to become a candidate country for EU accession. After Slovenia and Croatia, the FYR of Macedonia is the third of the ex-Yugoslav republics to have officially applied for EU entry. The EU integration prospect is very important for the Macedonian citizens, composed of a majority of Macedonians of Slav origin, and a quarter of the population Albanian. We portray the mayor of an Albanian municipality, to see how decentralisation of power works at local level. We follow the Chief of the Border Police, a newly-established service in this country where borders where until recently controlled by the Army. Border control is now in civilian hands, a pre-requisite to get closer to EU standards. An effective police goes hand in hand with an efficient judiciary, an area seen by the EU as very problematic in the country. We interviewed the President of Macedonia’s Judicial Council, as well as a European Commission expert working on judicial reform, to understand the problem. We illustrate with pictures of a court hearing in Skopje, related to high-level corruption. Adopting European democratic values is essential for this Balkan country. We see how a well-known Macedonian TV journalists tries to explain Europe to his viewers. And we understand from the Macedonian Prime Minister how essential the EU perspective is for the future of the country – any doubt about the commitment of the EU to integration the country in the long run would mean a return to the past. And the recent past in this troubled region means war and destruction.
mainly Macedonians of Slav origin, but a quarter of the population is Albanian.
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The country managed to maintain a fragile peace
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during the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 90s.
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But it couldn't withstand the aftershocks of the Kosovo crisis in 1999.
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Ethnic conflict was ignited between Albanian rebels
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and Macedonian security forces.
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By then the EU had learned many lessons in the Balkans.
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This time it deployed a major diplomatic effort
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to stop the conflict from degenerating into all-out civil war.
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The Orat Peace Agreement was signed under the umbrella of EU and NATO.
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The Albanian rebels disarmed,
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and the Macedonians agreed to give the Albanian minority
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greater rights as well as decentralized powers.
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Izet Meksiti is the mayor of Chere,
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the oldest and most colorful part of Skopje, a mainly Albanian area.
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He wants to improve living conditions in this charming but rather chaotic urban quarter.
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He believes the changes brought by the peace agreement really make a difference.
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There's been big progress.
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When you go into areas which have an Albanian majority,
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you can see Albanian flags flying there.
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And that doesn't worry anyone.
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This is a real change.
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A couple of years ago, back in 1997, this kind of thing was unthinkable.
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Ethnic Albanians now play a much bigger role in the local community.
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There used to be only one Albanian police officer in Chere.
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Now a third of the force is Albanian.
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Mixed patrols are more important because the population is mixed,
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and it needs policemen who know the Albanian language,
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who can respond to the demands of the population,
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and who can communicate easily between the Albanian people and the police.
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Elana Alibasic Jonas is Macedonian of Slav origin.
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She works in the legal department of the Chere local authority.
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Increasing numbers of her colleagues these days are Albanian.
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Although it was initially hard for the majority of the citizens to accept the reforms,
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she believes it was for the best.
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35,000 of our local people are Albanians,
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and that fact is enough to justify the official use of Albanian language in our municipality.
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We don't have any problems in communicating with citizens
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or among ourselves in the administration.
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That's just how it is.
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Now in Chaea, the two flags fly side by side,
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something not allowed in the past.
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When brokering the peace agreement, EU leaders had a major card to play,
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the prospect of EU integration,
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an essential incentive to build consensus within the divided society.
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Across ethnic lines, people are convinced that Europe is the right path to follow.
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As a small country in the turbulent Balkan region,
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Macedonia unanimously supports membership of NATO and the EU.
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We are a natural geographic part of Europe.
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Uniting the continent would not only be good for us, but for Europe as well.
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National disputes and relations between Albanians and Macedonians
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would not make headlines anymore
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because people would not have time to spend on such stupidities.
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Views shared by Prime Minister Vlado Bukovski.
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We've been able to resolve inter-ethnic conflict in Macedonia
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especially the crisis in 2001
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because everybody knew that the agreement would facilitate our path to Europe,
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an ambition shared by everybody in Macedonia.
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It's clear to everybody that it's time for this part of the Balkans,
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including Macedonia, to finally become part of a united Europe.
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Joining the EU will not solve all our problems,
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but it will mean more possibilities and more prospects for the young generation.
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The prospect of joining the EU is cementing the society together.
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Both communities are ready to make big efforts and compromises to reach that goal.
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But first, the multi-ethnic state must prove its stability
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and there are ambitious reforms on the agenda.
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Rada Jankovski is the chief of the country's border police.
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He is a member of the Security Council,
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Rada Jankovski is the chief of the country's border police.
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From the air, he inspects the border below with neighbouring Albania.
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The border police is a brand new service.
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Until recently, it was the army which controlled the frontiers,
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an inheritance of the former communist regime.
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Now it's in civilian hands, one of the many requirements for joining the EU.
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On the ground, he takes stock of the work of his border patrol units
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operating across Lake Ohrid.
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It was a must for the European Union.
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We had to establish a border police, a democratic border service,
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a democratic police service, and to get rid of the old way of work.
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When guarding the border was the responsibility
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of the Ministry of Defence and the army.
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There is close surveillance of this lake bordering Albania.
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It's being patrolled by air, by boat and by land.
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The new border police has to demonstrate its commitment
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to fight and halt organised crime.
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We discovered recently two typical cases of human trafficking.
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We found a vehicle adapted for the transport of illegal immigrants,
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with a special compartment constructed under the floor
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and eight immigrants inside.
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In another similar vehicle, we found 13 illegal immigrants.
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An effective police force must work hand in hand with an efficient judiciary.
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An area identified by the EU is still very problematic.
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Facts speak for themselves.
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There are more than 700,000 cases pending in the courts today,
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in a country with a population of just over 2 million people.
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The backlog is enormous,
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and there's a shortage of competent judges and lawyers.
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Renate Winter is an Austrian judge.
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She's in charge of a European Commission project
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to train judges and prosecutors.
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She's convinced that judicial reform is essential.
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How do we have the possibilities for investments in the country
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if the justice system cannot follow?
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Would you like to go there and invest if you do not know
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if you have a problem that this problem is going to be solved?
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You wouldn't, no? And everyone knows that.
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So everyone really interested tries.
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But as I said before, the will has to come from each and every side.
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If the will is there, I would say the capacity is there.
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This is Skopje's central court.
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Today, a high-level civil servant is on trial for misuse of public funds.
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A case which the EU has followed with close interest
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in a country where independence of judges is often questioned.
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We want a systemic solution
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which will prevent political influence on the judiciary,
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and especially government influence on the selection of judges.
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That's why I am absolutely in favour of a new mechanism of selection of judges
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and members of the Judicial Council.
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An independent judiciary is one of the main pillars of democracy
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that people realise that the path to Europe will require big changes.
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In his TV show, Zoom on Europe,
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Boryan Jovanovski explores what joining Europe really means.
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This week, the well-known journalist guest is from the Orthodox Church,
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the religion of the Macedonian Slav majority.
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Under discussion, European values.
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Boryan's weekly challenge is to open up the eyes of his audience
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to the wider European scene.
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A part of the public supports the EU
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because they think Europe will bring them better standards.
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But I think it's also because of a more important aspect,
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and that is the survival of the Macedonian state as we know it today,
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which I believe the majority of our citizens would like to preserve,
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and that depends on European integration.
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I think that the EU has already, in a way,
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integrated this country as a partner.
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It is a really all-encompassing type of support
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which has made possible the stabilisation
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and I hope also more tangible developments
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in the economic and the social life.
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The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
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has already achieved a lot in turning its back on conflict
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and setting out on the path towards a stable, multi-ethnic state.
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But those achievements remain fragile.
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Any doubt about the firm commitment of the EU
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to open its doors when the country is ready
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would have a disastrous effect.
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Not only Macedonia, all countries of the region,
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without a clear European perspective,
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will, by definition, return to the past.
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And the recent past in this part of the world
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was painful and tragic.
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It will mean that the dominant topic will again be
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relations between Macedonians and Albanians.
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Now, four years after the crisis,
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we already feel that we have turned attention
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to the issues of economic development
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and that's what matters most for the everyday life of our people.
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Here, the word Europe still holds the same meaning today
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as it did when the European Community
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was originally established after the Second World War.
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It represents the hope of economic development,
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of stability and, most of all, of peace.
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- Idioma/s:
- Niveles educativos:
- ▼ Mostrar / ocultar niveles
- Nivel Intermedio
- Autor/es:
- The European Union
- Subido por:
- EducaMadrid
- Licencia:
- Reconocimiento - No comercial - Sin obra derivada
- Visualizaciones:
- 665
- Fecha:
- 19 de julio de 2007 - 13:32
- Visibilidad:
- Público
- Enlace Relacionado:
- European Commission
- Duración:
- 11′ 25″
- Relación de aspecto:
- 4:3 Hasta 2009 fue el estándar utilizado en la televisión PAL; muchas pantallas de ordenador y televisores usan este estándar, erróneamente llamado cuadrado, cuando en la realidad es rectangular o wide.
- Resolución:
- 448x336 píxeles
- Tamaño:
- 57.55 MBytes