On the eve of the Western Balkan states’ summit in Bulgaria, Filipovski asked Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov about the European prospects of the countries in the region. The question was asked after the statement of French President Emmanuel Macron that EU reform has priority over the acceptance of new members. Dubravka Filipovski wanted to know how much can the criticism contained in the European Commission’s report concerning the rule of law, media freedom and anti-corruption be a problem for the EU accession of Western Balkan states.

Dimitrov said that the French President’s statement does not contradict the progress of the Western Balkan states and the two processes will develop side by side. It is important that the Western Balkan states continue with the reforms and fulfil the European Commission’s recommendations.

The PACE members also had the opportunity to ask questions of Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland. To MP Filipovski’s question about the lack of reaction or condemnation by the Council of Europe of the arrest and brutal attack on the Head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo-Metohija Marko Djuric on 26 March, the Secretary General said he was concerned by the incident, stressing that the Council of Europe is following further developments of the situation.

Filipovski also reacted severely to the PACE report on the humanitarian needs and rights of internally displaced persons in Europe which did not include the 220,000 internally displaced persons from Kosovo-Metohija who have not been able to return to their homes all these years which is to a great extent influenced by the fact that UN Resolution 1422 is not being followed, the poor security situation in Kosovo-Metohija and no economic prospects for the returnees. She focused on the many daily attacks on the few returnees of Serbian nationality to Kosovo-Metohija, where the guilty parties are neither detained nor processed.