Erwan Fouéré, the Galway man who will head the EU's mission to Macedonia, talks to Jamie Smyth about the way forward
The incoming head of the EU mission to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia faces a tough challenge in the fledgling Balkan state.
Erwan Fouéré, originally from Cleggan, Co Galway, is arriving at a time of escalating tension over the future of the neighbouring region of Kosovo and debate over Macedonia's bid to join the EU.
Not yet 15 years old, Macedonia is recovering from an armed confrontation in 2001 between ethnic Albanians, who make up a quarter of the population, and the majority orthodox Macedonian population.
Macedonia narrowly avoided the full-scale ethnic conflict that emerged in neighbouring Kosovo, which remains under UN control. However, ethnic relations are volatile in the region and current moves by the UN and EU to find a permanent solution for Kosovo are raising the political temperature in the state.
"There is a concern that the discussions about the future state of Kosovo could have an impact on Macedonia," says Fouéré, a career diplomat with the European Commission who took up his position last week. "If ethnic Albanians in Macedonia see the Serbian minority getting more rights in Kosovo than they have in Macedonia, then there could be problems. If there is agreement on conditional independence of Kosovo, then Belgrade may not want to accept the plan and could create dissension in the south."
Added to this combustible mix are border disputes between Macedonia and its neighbours; Greek objections to its name (Greece has a province with that title, forcing the EU to use the obscure title Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia); and warnings from European diplomats that delays to the process of EU integration for the Balkans could see tensions explode into renewed violence.
EU foreign ministers will today discuss the options for a permanent solution for Kosovo, while on Wednesday, the commission will issue an opinion on Macedonia's readiness to join the EU.
"The opinion to be adopted on Wednesday will be crucially important," says Fouéré. "They won't get a date for opening negotiations on EU entry, that's for sure, but I hope that Macedonia will make candidate status in December to show the population the positive side to all the reforms they are now undertaking."
A 2006 general election in Macedonia is also a concern. The current government has warned that poor progress on EU entry will leave it exposed to extremists, while the international community is concerned about the pace of reforms. "We have to show that the only road ahead is the EU," says Fouéré. "This means we have to promote reform, both economic and rule of law. These are the criteria that they will have to meet before they join."
Fouéré, who has led EU missions in Mexico, South Africa and most recently in Slovenia, will have a wide range of responsibilities in Macedonia where, for the first time, the EU has amalgamated the roles of commission representative and council representative. This was envisaged under the proposed EU constitution, but has now been fast-tracked despite opposition from the current EU president, Britain, which delayed his appointment for a time.
So does he have a grand plan for success? "You can pour money into countries but if you don't focus on reconciliation then it is not possible to create the conditions for long-term stability. I am determined to try to provide this."