Russian Deal 'No Risk' to Macedonia's EU Funds

Macedonia is not in danger of losing over €600 million euro, envisaged as part of the EU's Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, IPA funds, the European Union delegation to Skopje has assured BIRN.

"There is no direct link between Macedonian government policy on South Stream and the European Union IPA funds," EU delegation to Macedonia spokesman Konstantin Jovanovski said.

Questions about future access to the funds were raised by Janez Kopac, head of the Energy Community, a Vienna-based organization dealing with energy policy formed by the EU and eight Western Balkans countries, including Macedonia.

Macedonia's involement with the South Stream gas project was "not in compliance the Energy Community agreements, which are part of the European Union's common regulations i.e. the acquis," Kopac stated in an interview.

He said it was highly problematic that the deal effectively gave Russia's Gazprom a gas monopoly in Macedonia.

"Sooner or later Macedonia will become a member of the EU and sooner or later it will have to re-negotiate its inter-government agreement with Russia," he said. 

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