North Macedonia's prime minister says he could call early elections if his country fails to get a date for the start of European Union accession talks, addressing domestic frustration with the slow pace of progress in joining the bloc.

Zoran Zaev said Thursday that several options, including early elections, were possible if North Macedonia fails to get a firm date this summer.

North Macedonia has been an EU candidate since 2005, but because of Greece's objections due to a long-standing dispute over its name and the slow progress of reforms, it has not started entry negotiations.

However, the country resolved its dispute this year with Greece by changing its name to North Macedonia, and the European Commission last month said both it and Albania had "delivered on reforms."