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A solution to Macedonia's name dispute with Greece should be found in the coming four months, so as to start EU accession negotiations under the Spanish EU presidency, enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele said during his visit to Skopje on Friday (19 February). "There is a unique opportunity to find a solution and it should be seized. I am fully committed to supporting the talks, which along with the required political will, should lead to a solution," Mr Fuele told local media after meeting Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

It is still unknown how Greece's current financial and economic troubles will have an impact on the Macedonian name dispute. Athens is currently under tremendous pressure from big eurozone countries such as Germany and France to cut back spending and provide accurate data on its deficit, while facing unprecedented scrutiny by the European Commission. Some diplomats suggest that this offers a window of opportunity which should be seized, while others say that because of the painful economic measures, Athens will be even less inclined to compromise on the name issue, a matter of national pride.

Kosovo was recognised as an independent state by 65 countries in 2009 and its declaration of independence was brought to the International Court in The Hague for consideration. Kosovo considers that it has proved that it is a well-functioning and stable country. The country’s biggest successes on the international scene were becoming a member of the World Bank and of the International Monetary Fund. One of the highest priorities for Pristina’s diplomacy in 2009 was lobbying in the five EU member states that were yet to recognise its independence. The first local elections, since Kosovo’s declaration of independence, were one of the main events in the past year for the new Balkan state. The European Commission noted in its annual report for the progress of the countries candidates and potential candidates for EU accession, that the main challenges ahead of Kosovo remained the democracy and the rule of law, fight against corruption and organised crime, increasing of the administrative capacity, human rights and the protection of minorities, and the integration of the communities.

Media reports citing unidentified senior sources in Brussels are claiming that the European Commission is to urge Athens and Skopje to come up with a solution to the dispute about the use of the name Macedonia by December 7 2009 – failing which Macedonia may find its hopes for an early start to EU membership talks receding. Macedonian foreign minister Antonio Milososki has written to European Union foreign ministers urging them to support the opening of EU membership negotiations with his country. He cited the European Commission’s recommendation to this effect. "The opening of negotiations with the Republic of Macedonia would substantively encourage the other countries in the region to further pursue pre-accession reforms and it will furthermore confirm the credibility of the EU’s enlargement policy," Milososki said in the letter