A sublime goal, to stimulate the protection of the minority rights in Macedonia, has ended up in the exactly opposite direction: with violation of the human rights by the officials of the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR).

In 2005, EAR for Macedonia announced a competition on the topic “Support of minority rights/activities”. Three non-governmental organizations – Action for Democratic Initiative from Gostivar (ADI), Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation (MCIC) and Center for Peace and Democracy: Ian Collins (CMD) responded to the competition with the project: Power-Sharing – a New Model of Decision-Making in the Multicultural Municipalities in Macedonia”. EAR selected this project among the many projects that applied, and on 15.08.2005 an agreement was signed between ADI, as a leading organization, and Luigi Sandrin, EAR Director, for financing the project under the abovementioned title.

Several months after the realization of the project had started, on 16 March, 2006, Mr. Luigi Sandrin changed the conditions of the agreement. Namely, he sent a “Note to all partners that have concluded an agreement with EAR”. The subject of the note: “Use of the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.

, Mr. Sandrin informs us that the only denomination that can be used is “former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (with a small “f” and a small “o” and with capital letters only in the beginning of the sentence), in accordance with Resolution 817/1993 of the UN Security Council and Resolution 225/1993 of the UN General Assembly.

Later on in the letter, he says: “The name “Republic of Macedonia” or “Macedonia” is not be used, notwithstanding the fact that it is the official denomination used by the country itself and that all documents from Skopje (letters, reports etc.) will refer to it in this form”.

In the end, Mr. Sandrin adds, “Please, ensure that all printed documents and external communication, as well as the web-sites, books and other materials related to EU-funded projects  follow this policy”.

As one of the authors of the Research Report on Power-Sharing Project , I responded to Mr. Sandrin that he misinterprets the EU policy. Namely, if their “European policy” is to censure the letters and the reports that include the name Macedonia, then they should emphasise this. They do not have the right to humiliate us, requesting that we ourselves renounce our name.

Contrary to any civilised communication, Mr. Sandrin did not respond to this letter at all, or, at least, I did not get any reply. In the meantime, the EAR bureaucrats are exhorting impudent pressure that they will proclaim the project unsuccessful unless we delete the word “Macedonia” from the Research Report. This implies that its implementers will be placed on the “black list” of European funds. What a shame!

“The word “Macedonia” must not appear – you should delete it”, Mrs. Jutta Bulling from EAR threatens. “I do not even have to tell you at all that the word Macedonia cannot be inside the book”.

The absurdity goes so far that, at one moment, the Macedonians became “former Macedonians”, the councillors in the municipalities – “former Yugoslav-Macedonian councillors”, and the Macedonian language – “of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia language”! The word “Macedonia” is deleted or replaced by “fYROM” or “Our Country” even from the quotations of other authors mentioned in the Report, as well as from the legal texts, and even from the Constitution of the state.

What is published on the web page of NGO, ADI(www.adi-macedonia.org/publications/ is a shameful evidence of a policy of EU and its agencies, which, at one moment, have become accomplices of the Greek nationalism. The denomination “Macedonia” and “Republic of Macedonia” has been deleted from the title of the text, contrary to the will of the authors of the Research Report – Mirjana Maleska, Ph.D, Lidija Hristova, PhD, and Jovan Ananiev, PhD.  – and despite the reactions of the NGOs that participated in the carrying out of this project.
             The EAR officials do not consider it necessary to apologise for the humiliation inflicted on us or for the violation of our basic  right to dignity.

Prof. Mirjana Maleska, editor-in-chief