Presseschau: Namensstreit um Mazedonien
29. November 2018
EURACTIV
EPP’s Weber under pressure to break his silence over Macedonia name deal, by Sarantis Michalopoulos
„Manfred Weber, the European People’s Party (EPP) Spitzenkandidat for the EU elections, has been silent over the name change deal reached this year between Athens and Skopje. The deal has been generally endorsed by the EPP but rejected by some of its members, including those from the two countries involved.
…
“He should make his position clear. He has to clarify what he believes on the issue as well as on many other topics, such as Hungary’s Viktor Orbán,” Gabi Zimmer, the leader of the leftist group GUE-NGL in the European Parliament, told EURACTIV.com.
“Up to date, he has been dodging the issue like an eel […] I don’t understand what Weber is doing,” the German politician said, adding that Weber was equally unclear at a recent Conference of Presidents [a meeting between Parliament president and chairs of political groups].
A reason, according to Zimmer, could be that Weber is close to the political forces that oppose the deal in both countries.
…
Zimmer said the leftist parties back the name deal not because it opens the door to NATO membership for Macedonia but because it puts an end to a long-time conflict…“