Parties need political education of what in fact means Macedonia’s accession to the EU and the "Europeanization" as process. They should also engage in the ideological network at European level, because such contacts and socialization will help them become more European as well, the Macedonian Center for European Education (MCEE) concluded in a study, announcing its results today at the Conference's ending session.
A debate on European values with wider involvement of the citizens and the return of European integrations into the parties’ political agendas is also a necessity, the report stresses.
The study's results indicate that the process of essential "Europeanization" of the political and social system in Macedonia is facing a crisis and compared to seven years ago, the attitude about the EU has completely changed, as currently, joining the EU has become a synonym of identity issues, while the bloc itself is being accused of double standards.
The study also looks at Euro-integrations related messages parties used in their election programs in the period between 1990 until today.
At today's presentation of the study, Ljupco Petkovski from the MCEE, said that a domestic fatigue and evading the Euro-integrations can be noted in Macedonia is also apparent with the opposition and the critical public, which until recently have had great expectations from Brussels’ role in domestic affairs, while there is also a disappointment from the EU and the Eurocrates as managers of the Euro-integration processes.
Their research includes a survey carried out among both the ruling and the opposition parties, including VMRO-DPMNE, SDSM, DOM and LDP from the Macedonian bloc and DUI from the Albanian political front, while DPA did not respond to the invitation. Out of the surveyed parties, only DUI is not a member of a European network, VMRO-DPMNE, SDSM and LDP are full-fledged members of various EU groups, while DOM is a member not enjoying full rights.
According to an opinion survey carried out by the Eurobarometer on the desirability rate of joining the EU, when it comes to Macedonian citizens, a constant decline can be recorded: in 2007, ahead of the NATO Summit in Bucharest, around 75% of the people had a positive opinion about EU membership, but the latest research done by the Eurobarometer in the fall of 2013, says that the support has declined by 50%.
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