The European Commission’s report on North Macedonia is better than last year’s and contains no assessment of regression, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said. He spoke at a joint press conference with the Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Skopje, Michalis Rokas.
“There is not a single assessment of regression in the report. On the contrary, the level of readiness for membership in the European Union has increased in two negotiating areas,” Mickoski said. According to him, these are digital transformation and the media, as well as education and culture. Last year, improvement was reported in one area.
What the European Commission reports
In its annual enlargement package, the European Commission states that North Macedonia has made significant progress in implementing its Reform Agenda and is among the leading performers under the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans.
Brussels, however, notes that the country continues to work on the conditions for opening the “Fundamentals” cluster, which includes key areas such as the rule of law, the functioning of democratic institutions and public administration. The European Commission stresses that further efforts are needed to strengthen the rule of law.
Among the main unresolved issues are the constitutional changes that North Macedonia committed to adopt in 2022. They are a necessary condition for continuing the accession process and opening the first negotiating cluster.
The next step lies with the Council of the EU
Despite the progress claimed by Mickoski, North Macedonia has still not moved to the actual opening of the negotiating chapters. The European Commission assesses the reforms, but decisions on the next stages are taken by the member states in the Council of the EU.
The government in Skopje says it will continue implementing the reforms and insists that the country’s European path should be based on clear rules and predictability. The European Commission’s assessment makes clear that progress on the reforms has been recorded, but it is still not sufficient to overcome the political deadlock surrounding the start of the negotiations.
Sources: dnes.bg, taralej.bg, 360stepeni.mk