The Irish presidency of the European Union expects Macedonia to start membership negotiations in the first half of 2013, Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore said speaking before the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
"We want to see a concrete congress to be made for all candidate countries, including aspiring ones. In the first half of 2013, we will have a chance to open negotiations with Serbia and Macedonia, to grant a candidate status to Albania and an association agreement to be signed with Kosovo. We know that this is an ambitious agenda, but Ireland's presidency will work a progress to be made by Western Balkan countries," Gilmore stated while presenting Irish presidency priorities in the EP, Italy's ANSA new agency reported.
As presidency holder, Ireland will support the candidacy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. "I expect Bosnian authorities to become more committed to country's integration into the EU," the FM noted.
