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Prespa Agreement. Commissioner Avramopoulos dissents. The Commission does not say a word

(B2) The European institutions, and in particular the European Commission, broadly support the Prespa agreement, " important for the region and for Europe ” reminded the spokesperson for the European executive again this Thursday (January 24) noon. This " unanimously ". This did not prevent European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos from speaking out against this agreement: “ The Prespa agreement is not balanced and therefore it is problematic “he dropped back on national soil (1).

(credit: European Commission)

Surfing a Nationalist Wave

In charge of the Migrations, Citizenship and Home Affairs portfolio, this former Minister of Defense had made an active career so far, without fail, in my opinion. But he belongs to a party: New Democracy (Néa Dimokratía), totally opposed to the Prespa agreement, ready to 'surf' on all the nationalist winds, to oppose the government of Alexis Tsipras. Pressured by his party colleagues, he cracked...

Nationalist or European

While in Skopje and Athens some are waving the most nauseating nationalist flag, trying to bring 2000-year-old feuds back to the present, this position seems contradictory to the European spirit. It's one thing to be proud of your past and your history. It's another not to live in the present and the future. Macedonia and Greece are members of the same European space. The quarrel over the name of the first could be settled at the cost of long discussions and efforts on both sides. It is time to take action.

The end of collegiality or the resignation of the commissioner

This declaration by a European commissioner is totally contradictory with the letter and the spirit of the European Commission. We are faced with an organizational choice. Either on this sensitive issue, the European executive believes that each commissioner is free to have an opinion. Either it has taken a position — which seems to be the case — and its members are bound by it. It is this second option that the spokesperson specified. In this case, there are only two choices left. Either Avramopoulos remains a member of the Commission, and withdraws his proposal. Either he considers that the national position takes precedence, and he resigns (2). There may be subjects on which nuances can be expressed, at the economic level for example, when it comes to the essence and stability of Europe, it is difficult. To paraphrase Chevènement: a commissioner shuts up or resigns.

Europe's Weakness for New Democracy

In general, it is heartbreaking to see the European executive rather wait-and-see on this position. We would have expected a little more courage vis-à-vis the attitude of New Democracy, which nevertheless belongs to the main current of European Christian Democrats, the EPP. Questioned on several occasions, the spokesperson for the Commission refused to condemn the attitude of this party. Is it the common membership of the EPP of Jean-Claude Juncker or the political past of his spokesperson Margaritis Schinas, former deputy of the ND. It would be hard to believe that the European Commission is reduced to such basely political considerations. It would be a shame for Europe.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

NB: in the columns of B2, we will now use the name 'North Macedonia', in accordance with the Prespa agreement, supported by the Europeans.

  1. Greek Commissioner breaks with EU line on North Macedonia name deal, Euroactiv
  2. This could force the Commission to have to accept a member of Syriza (United Left) and to make a small reshuffle. Commissioner King, thealter ego de Avramopoulos, in charge of the Security Union, must leave school on March 29, Brexit obliges...

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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