The Prime Minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Zoran Zaev will address the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on Thursday morning.
Securing the support of the public and that of the opposition for both the name change and for the next steps required for the republic’s possible accession to the EU, are expected to take centre stage in Mr Zaev’s speech.
Greece and FYROM signed a preliminary agreement to rename the latter in June, following a decades-long name dispute, which blocked the country’s prospects of joining the European Union and NATO.
The proposed new name on the table is the “Republic of North Macedonia”.
The outcome of the name negotiations, which has already been formally ratified by the FYROM parliament, will also be put to a referendum in the country on 30 September.
The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee is expected to vote on a report assessing the 2018 Commission report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia later this Autumn. Rapporteur on FYROM Ivo Vajgl (ALDE, SL) has welcomed the preliminary name agreement.
