How did Greece's name dispute with Macedonia affect NATO and European Union membership efforts?

Greece’s long-standing dispute with the Republic of Macedonia over the use of the name "Macedonia" significantly hindered the country's integration into Western institutions. Greece, which maintains a region also named Macedonia, objected to the use of the name by its neighbor, viewing it as a claim to Greek historical heritage and ancient figures like Alexander the Great.12

Because of this conflict, Greece blocked the country's efforts to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union. Although a 1995 UN-brokered Interim Accord stipulated that Greece would not block membership if the country used the provisional name "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia," Greece continued to stymie these efforts, even after the International Court of Justice ruled in 2011 that such obstruction violated the agreement.12

The impasse was resolved in 2018 with the Prespa Agreement, in which the country agreed to rename itself the "Republic of North Macedonia." In exchange, Greece withdrew its objections, paving the way for North Macedonia's accession to NATO.12