News
10/3/2022 05:30
The Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European affairs, Bojan Maricik, announced at today's press briefing that the European Commission's report on the state's progress will arrive next week and that he expects it to be positive.
- We expect a positive report that will undoubtedly be our guide for the next reforms and activities, with all its good and less good grades. This will be the first Report since the beginning of the negotiations and I don't expect any surprises, said Deputy Prime Minister Maricik.
The Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator with the Union, Maricik, also briefed that from November 7th, with the start of the bilateral meetings, there will be a separation with the Albanian negotiating team, and that we will continue the bilateral screening separately.
At the briefing, beside Maricik, there was the external expert, former Croatian negotiator, Vladimir Drobnjak, who gave a brief overview of the course of negotiations in Croatia and shared his experience in negotiating with the European Union in certain areas.
- You should understand the negotiations as a transformation of society, which leads to benefit for all. Every difficulty during the negotiations will pay off when you get EU membership," said Drobnjak, adding that the resolution of delicate issues is better done when negotiating on an equal basis, i.e. when North Macedonia becomes a member of the Union, because then more beneficial solutions for the state can be reached.
Speaking about the negotiating structure, Deputy Prime Minister Maricik said that discussions are under way for the positions of lawyer, chief economist and chief anti-corruption officer and pointed out that the position of chief anti-corruption officer will be particularly important, because anti-corruption measures will have to be defined in each area.
Maricik indicated that the focus of the screening will be the rule of law, the reform of public administration and the functioning of democratic institutions in the country, for which roadmaps are expected for all three areas by March next year. The first two are mandatory and without them the Cluster cannot be opened, while the roadmap for the functioning of democratic institutions is voluntary, but it is good to have it drawn up, he says.
When asked about the constitutional amendments and the inclusion of Bulgarians, Croats and Montenegrins in the Constitution, Maricik pointed out that this is an obligation that we have undertaken and that it would not be good to complete the screening without having completed the other obligations, adding that it would it also mean termination of negotiations with the Union.