Signing ceremony of the Treaty of Prespa on Macedonia name issue

Signing ceremony of the agreement on Macedonia name issue at Prespa lake © European Union, 2018 / Source: EC - Audiovisual Service

Today, 17th June 2018, the signing ceremony of the Treaty of Prespa, the historic agreement between Greece and FYROM (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) on the name issue, took place in Psarades, a village at Lake Prespa's Greek side. Thanks to this Treaty, FYROM will be known in the future as the Republic of North Macedonia, alluding to the ancient Macedonian region whose territory is currently divided between Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia and FYROM itself, and whose name has been for decades the subject of dispute.

The Treaty has been signed by the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Greece and FYROM in the presence of the Prime Ministers, Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev, respectively. The event was attented by the UN's Special Representative Matthew Nimetz, the EU HRVP Federica Mogherini and the Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn.
 

According to Mogherini, today is a very good day: "First of all, it is a very good day for the two countries; but we are here, Commissioner Johannes Hahn and myself, to say it is also a very good day for the EU, for Europe as such, for the Balkans", she stated. "Today is indeed a historic day, and especially something the citizens of the future North Macedonia deserve: to get the opportunity of a clear Euro-Atlantic perspective", underlined Johannes Hahn. The EU has accompanied the process step by step.
 

HRVP Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn remarks at Prespa lake © European Union, 2018 / Source: EC - Audiovisual Service

The European Union encouraged and supported these negotiations from their very beginning. Now, the Commission and the EEAS look forward to the Council of the EU to open accession negotiations with the future Republic of North Macedonia.