The European Union is "very confident" Macedonia will settle a long-running row with Greece over its name before July, a senior official from the bloc said Friday.

Athens has long objected to Macedonia's name, arguing it suggests Skopje has claims to the territory and heritage of Greece's historic northern region of the same name.

The row, which has festered since Macedonia's independence in the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991, has hindered Skopje's plans to join NATO and the European Union.