More than 90 percent of voters approved changing the name to ‘North Macedonia,’ but the referendum was marred by a low turnout ‘This is a historic opportunity not only for reconciliation in the region, but also for decisively moving the country forward on its European Union path’ BRUSSELS: The EU on Monday hailed the vote by Macedonians to rename their country in a bid to end a decades-long spat with Greece as a step toward joining the bloc. More than 90 percent of voters approved changing the name to “North Macedonia,” but the referendum was marred by a low turnout, with only a third of the electorate casting ballots. EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn urged the Macedonian parliament to proceed to constitutional changes needed to clear the way for the country to join the EU and NATO. “This is a historic opportunity not only for reconciliation in the region, but also for decisively moving the country forward on its European Union path,” they said in a statement. “It is for all political and institutional actors now to act within their constitutional responsibilities beyond party political lines.” The ballot was closely watched by Greece, which said it “remains committed” to its June agreement with Skopje under which Athens would drop its objections to Macedonia joining the EU and NATO in return for the change of name. The non-binding referendum on renaming Macedonia needs to be ratified in parliament by a two-thirds majority and also given the stamp of approval by the Greek parliament.