Opinion

Jarlath Kearney: Macedonia offers useful perspective amid Brexit uncertainty

Theresa May on a recent visit to Macedonia, a country looking into the EU 
Theresa May on a recent visit to Macedonia, a country looking into the EU  Theresa May on a recent visit to Macedonia, a country looking into the EU 

The prime minister has had a good couple of weeks in parliament. That’s despite the referendum on Europe creating such uncertainty. (Don’t forget the interference from Russian agents – official and non-official.)

The parliamentary vote was a big success for the government after months of intensive hard work and negotiation. It’s fair to say the European project is back on track, despite the efforts of spoilers on different sides.

So perhaps that achievement by Macedonia’s government in carrying a pro-Europe vote through parliament ten days ago merits more examination across these islands – especially in relation to Brexit (never mind political stasis here).

One rule of electoral politics is that things are usually never quite as bad or as good as the spin suggests, unless a society spirals towards the extremities of conflict. Another rule is to make sure that democracy and diplomacy never become that broken.

That’s why red lines and ultimatums are, by definition, often unsustainable. Relationships measured by mutuality and grounded in objective perspective are usually more effective.

Macedonia is one of the Balkan states in southeast Europe that declared independence after the fall of the Soviet Union and the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

The subsequent scale and brutal inhumanity of the Balkans ethnic conflicts during the 1990s mean that the region needs no lectures on the impacts of mass violence. A generation on, it’s still struggling to build local norms of electoral democracy, rule of law, public accountability and participative social structures.

Macedonia’s developing capital Skopje signposts the search for future integration into the European Union. Yet simultaneously it is a throwback to the legacy of gaudy Soviet-esque street furniture.

In early dawn, Skopje’s main square wakens to the glow of warm sunlight cutting through crisp, cold air, against the rasping barks of sparring feral dogs. In balmy summer evenings, diplomats and tourists and young people and street traders mingle round the westernised eateries or the bustle of the historic bazaar that dates back almost 1,000 years. With connections to Alexander the Great, Skopje was once a key east-west trading post – a place of historical significance.

Macedonia is still a state in transition towards some stability of democratic governance, one that needs substantial and sustainable socio-economic development. It is located strategically close to Turkey, and nearby the worryingly unstable fragility of Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo. It’s also bordered directly south by Greece.

The demographics of Macedonia show a population of just over two million: the largest group being indigenous Macedonians; the next largest group being Albanians; and then a significant minority of smaller communities – Turks, Bosniaks, Serbs, Vlachs, Roma and others. The diversity of the state is something that begs celebration but that still manifests problems over the exercise and protection of rights.

Flag disputes over municipal buildings. Issues over formal education in mother tongue languages. Sufficient support for diverse cultural programmes. Appropriate legal frameworks for minority protections. Better accountability and cooperation across government departments. A lack of adequate population data. All of these, and more, are currently being worked through.

Arguably Macedonia’s most intractable dispute has largely been settled over the past year in relation to the actual name of the country. The Greek government continuously disputed the title because the most northern province of Greece has historically been called Macedonia. In June last year, a political agreement was reached between both governments to rename Macedonia as the Republic of North Macedonia.

Macedonia’s prime minister, Zoran Zaev, then put the constitutional name change to a national referendum last September. While the vote was overwhelmingly won, the adequate threshold of turnout wasn’t reached. So ten days ago, parliament voted strongly to ratify the name change.

The strategic part was this. On the referendum ballot paper, the government had asked citizens to not just support the name change – but also explicitly support joining the European Union and NATO. Greece had previously blocked this move.

Clear questions, clear outcomes. A mandate for political peace with Greece became a mandate for future progress within Europe and NATO. (Hence the ongoing Russian interference through ‘disruptors’.)

Greece now faces the ‘disruptors’ ahead of its imminent parliamentary vote this week about ratification of the same agreement, with 60,000 right-wingers marching on Sunday against the Syriza-led government.

The great tide of European affairs has ebbed and flowed over millennia. And just as the English Channel and the Irish Sea are today boiled by Brexit, young states with rich histories (and similar issues) on the very far side of Europe – like Macedonia – are striving to build geo-political bridges over their long-troubled waters.

In the midst of our captivating domestic chaos, we sometimes need to review our ego-centrism. Perspective always helps.