The Macedonia Name Dispute: ICJ’s Decision and its Legal Approach

Macedonia’s name issue began after the declaration of Macedonia independence and its membership in international organizations. This problem has hindered Macedonia in the process of membership in other international organizations namely in NATO, and this has resulted due to the opposition by Greece. The aim of this paper is through analysis of the judgement of International Court of Justice to elaborate its effects in line with Macedonian future memberships in International Organisations. An Interim Accord was signed by Greece and Macedonia, whereby, among others, Greece shall not hinder Macedonian integration processes on the basis of the international agreement. Due to violation of this agreement by Greece, Macedonia was prompted to file a complaint before the ICJ. Issues dealt with relate to the review of the violation of the accord and its consequences. The main focus would be the analysis of the ICJ decision on the violation of the Interim Accord by Greece, the impacts of this opinion and Macedonian prospect in its future integration processes. A result of this accord, which generated legal consequences for both countries and allegations of its violation, led to judgement of ICJ whether there actually was a violation of the interim accord signed in 1995. The ICJ’s decision may have a positive impact in Macedonia’s membership in International Organizations such as: NATO and EU. Moreover, Macedonia’s future membership in international organizations depends heavily on a final agreement with Greece on resolving contested issue of the name