More Than Half Of Macedonian Blame Greece For Blocking EU Accession: Polls

Macedonian citizens believed that the main reason why Macedonia is stuck with its EU's integration is the obstruction by its neighbor Greece, according to an opinion poll released on Friday.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents to a public opinion survey conducted by The Institute for Democracy "Societas Civilis" Skopje (IDSCS) blamed Greece for blocking Macedonia to join EU, which represents an increase in comparison to March 2014, when this opinion was 48 percent.
Twenty-nine percent of the respondents said that the failure to implement domestic reforms is another main reason for not being part of EU. And the view that reluctance of EU to accept Macedonia as a member state is supported by 7 percent respondents, which is a significant decline from March 2014.
The opinion poll on the topic - "Macedonia's EU Integration" - was conducted by telephone interviews between 10 and 15 September and covered 1002 Macedonian citizens. The result showed that if a referendum is held next week, on whether Macedonia should join the EU, 80 percent would say "yes", and 14 percent would be against.
But if the name issue is brought on the table, only 26 percent of Macedonians would support EU membership if it means changing the name of the state while 63 percent support joining the EU without any concession on the name issue.
As for the forthcoming EU Progress Report, the views of the European Commission on progress done in Macedonia, nearly half of the citizens do not expect anything new. Almost every second respondent (48 percent) says the Report will be the same as last year, while 28 percent think that it will show progress.
The Progress Report is due to be published on 8th of October and observers wait to see if the report will again, for the sixth year in a row, repeat the recommendations that Macedonia should open the accession negotiations. Whereas the positive recommendations in the past five years were blocked then at the European Council level, where Greece has veto power.
Greece is opposed to the use of the name Macedonia by its northern neighbor, saying that it implies territorial claims to Greece's northern province of the same name.
As a result, Greece is determined to block Macedonia's bid to join NATO, as well as the European Union. (Cihan/Xinhua)