The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned European finance ministers: the average EU country's public debt could reach 130 percent of GDP by 2040, which is nearly double the current level. Without structural and fiscal reforms, the situation will become unsustainable.

In a document presented at the meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus, the IMF listed the main pressures: rising defense spending, the energy transition, an aging population, and growing pension obligations. All four are structural - meaning none of them can be sidestepped with short-term fixes.

The solutions the Fund proposes? Gradually raising retirement ages, integrating energy markets, tighter fiscal discipline, labor-market reforms, joint European borrowing for specific projects. Sounds familiar - it's the same structural-reform recipe the EU has had on the table for the past 20 years. The question isn't whether the recommendations are right, but whether there's political will to actually implement them.

European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis confirmed it's a "concrete and urgent political challenge." He noted that joint borrowing already works for financing defense capabilities and aid to Ukraine - which implies the model already exists, it just needs to be extended to broader fiscal areas.

For Macedonia, the lessons are specific. The country has a significantly lower public debt than the EU average in absolute terms, but the same pressures are present - aging population (steadily rising pension obligations), the need for increased defense spending as a NATO member, energy transition driven by EU accession. If the EU fails to address its fiscal challenges, Macedonia joins a market under rising financial tension. That's the context none of our politicians mention when they talk about "the European standard" - that gets reserved for the upsides only.