Republic of Macedonia Approves Name Change In Step Toward Joining EU
- Republic of Macedonia’s lawmakers agree to amend constitution
- Changing name is key condition for country to join EU, NATO
Demonstrators wave an old Macedonian flag during a protest against a process of renaming the country's name in front of the Parliament building in Skopje on Jan. 9.
Photographer: Robert Atanasovski/AFP via Getty Images
The Republic of Macedonia cleared its biggest hurdle to membership in NATO and the European Union by passing an amendment to change its name and solve a decades-long dispute with Greece.
The parliamentary vote shifts the advantage to the West in a struggle for influence with Cold War foe Russia over the Balkans, Europe’s most volatile region. It also fulfills an agreement struck last year in which Greece pledged to lift its vetoes on the Balkan state’s bids to join the world’s largest trading bloc and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in return for adopting a new name.