Hahn Tells Macedonia to Investigate Surveillance Claims

On his first visit to Macedonia, the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood policy and Enlargement negotiations, Johannes Hahn said opposition claims about government surveillance of thousands of citizens need investigating.  

"The investigation should be conducted in full respect of the principles of due process - impartiality, presumption of innocence, transparency, separation of powers and judicial independence", Hahn said on Wednesday. He said the media needed complete freedom to report on issues of public interest.

In meetings with President Gjorge Ivanov, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Foreign Minister Poposki and opposition leader Zoran Zaev, Hahn expressed the EU's concern at the overall political situation.

He urged politicians "to engage in constructive dialogue, within the parliament, focusing on the strategic priorities of the country and all its citizens.

"All leaders must cooperate in good faith to overcome the current impasse, which is not beneficial to the country's reform efforts", Hahn's statement said.    

The Commissioner added that fundamental rights and freedom of the media are at the heart of the EU accession process and non-negotiable.  

On February 9, the opposition Social Democrat leader, Zoran Zaev, accused Prime Minister Gruevski and the secret police chief, Saso Mijalkov, of conducting the illegal surveillance of more than 20,000 people. Zaev claimed that "all socially important people have been eavesdropped".

He claimed that the Prime Minister had been receiving daily reports on his political opponents prepared by the secret services. The wire tapping, according to the opposition, included Gruevski's own associates, senior politicians, opposition leaders, NGO activists, journalists, businessmen,...