EU urges Macedonia to press on with reforms

The European Union called on Monday for the early formation of a new Macedonian government to complete reforms needed for EU membership after the weekend collapse of the ruling coalition.

The multi-ethnic government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski had been in turmoil for months over the country's Western reform path before Greece dealt the final blow this month by blocking an invitation for Macedonia to join NATO.

Deputies backed a motion to dissolve parliament on Saturday and an early election has been set for June 1.

"It is important for the EU aspirations of the country and its citizens that following the election a new government is established as soon as possible," a spokeswoman for EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told a regular briefing.

"We encourage the new government to focus immediately on the many important reforms on the road to EU accession," she said, urging Skopje to meet benchmarks set in specific reform areas by late 2008.

Brussels has earlier suggested that accession talks with Macedonia could begin later this year.

Macedonia has a large ethnic Albanian minority and borders newly independent Kosovo, itself predominantly ethnic Albanian. It was rescued from all-out ethnic civil war in 2001 by NATO and EU mediation, and the West is watching for signs of new tension.