NORTH MACEDONIA’S ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION: MOVING FORWARD WITH LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE FRENCH VETO

Accession to the European Union is a long-lasting procedure that straightforward consolidation, conditionality, communication and many other important segments which constitute enlargement a difficult, but well-worth procedure. North Macedonia formally started its journey with the European Union back in 2005 when it gained the candidate status and since than, that path was full with never ending challenges. This paper will try to argue the efforts that has been made by North Macedonia in order to start the accession negotiations and how the French veto reflected on that efforts. Moreover, it will discuss the next steps which should be undertaken by both sides – North Macedonia and the European Union and how the French nonpaper could change the accession conditions or it were just words that cannot be implemented in practice.