FYROM’s constitution will need changes before EU accession, says Zaev

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will need to discuss constitutional reform before it starts accession talks with the European Union, the country’s prime minister, Zoran Zaev, said.

FYROM will have to “transfer part of its sovereignty to the union,” Zaev told FYROM’s state-run news agency MIA, suggesting that Greece’s concerns over certain clauses seen as expressing possible irredentist aspirations could also be addressed in the process.

“If additional guarantees are required as security for the Greek citizens then this is something that could be discussed,” Zaev was quoted by the MIA as saying.

“We are looking at all the possible solutions for a resolution,” Zaev said in regards to ongoing talks with Greece to settle a decades’ old dispute over the Balkan nation’s name.

Zaev added that any solution will need to be approved by the two countries’ institutions, as an agreement between their prime ministers or foreign ministers is not enough to ensure a breakthrough.

He reiterated that any changes to the country’s constitution would be put to a referendum.