The European Union will invite Macedonia to start EU pre-accession talks before the end of the year, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn was quoted by Croatian news agency HINA as saying. Rehn paid an official visit to Macedonia on March 6.

Macedonia received a candidate state status in December 2005, however, is yet to start pre-accession talks over lagging economic and political reforms, an Associated Press report reads. Brussels also expressed concern over the lack of political dialogue in Macedonia.

During his visit to Skopje, Rehn said Macedonia made headway in implementation of EU integration-related reforms. Of note were reforms in police and the judicial system. He called on Macedonia, however, to resolve its decade-long dispute with Greece on ownership of the name “Macedonia”.

Emerging from a meeting with Rehn, Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski reiterated his government worked painstakingly to carry out Brussels' recommendations.