Mr President, I too would like to compliment Mr Swoboda on his report. I think it is a good thing that so many of us are expressing support for the approach he has adopted in it. The report tackles stability in the region in a structural manner. This is also the purpose of the pending agreement with the Republic of Macedonia which we are debating today. Although the actual implementation of the Stability Pact has not yet started, the Commission has already developed the new instrument, entitled the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. This marks the beginning of the treaty-based stabilising process for the countries of the former Yugoslavia. These countries do not yet qualify for a pre-accession agreement. The present agreement is a kind of pre-pre-agreement, but with a view to joining in future. The instrument of joining countries together by means of active treaties is excellent, provided that the agreements stipulated in them are implemented dynamically, so that the required stabilisation can actually be attained. Macedonia remains a potential minefield and has a history to match. It does, however, have the ambition to break free from this image. This requires internal stability. The new government would like to tackle this matter and the agreement could be an agenda for reforms, including a direct role and equality for the Albanian minority. More than anything, the country needs peace and quiet now, in order to put its internal house in order and to find the road to greater prosperity. We, the social democrats, would urge the opposition to back these ideas. They need to help support the much-praised Macedonian model. But the country also – and especially – needs external stability. What is the point of having internal stability if the surrounding environment is unstable? This stability is required in the relations with Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Albania and Bulgaria. The region should recognise that Macedonia exists and that it will continue to exist. External stability also means open borders and regional cooperation. Minorities and majorities need to be given room for human and cultural exchange. Macedonia’s stability is very much linked with the developments in the neighbouring countries. The Kosovo problem is well-known and the international community is present there on a massive scale. It seems that the Albania factor is being underestimated. The Union considers it untimely to reach a stability and association agreement with this country. But what then instead? It is the very argument to conclude an agreement with Macedonia and not yet with Albania that cause us so much concern, so much so that a passive stance from the Union vis-à-vis Albania is really not acceptable. What does the Commission intend to do regarding this issue? Yugoslavia is just as much a weak link in the stability process and, as such, a threat to Macedonia’s stability. We need to wait and see what happens there. The mood in Belgrade is becoming less predictable by the day. We, however, second the Council’s decision to give the sanctions a different focus. In this way, at least a serious attempt is being made to give the opposition, which is preparing for a new round of demonstrations, a shot in the arm. What else will the Union undertake in this respect if the demand from the opposition – bringing forward elections – is met? What else can we do to support this opposition?

Political group: PSE