The EU Commissioner, Johannes Hahn, announced today that he will send again in Macedonia a group of independent legal experts led by Reinhard Priebe who will be able to help and advise the new government on issues regarding the rule of law.
The sending of the expert group, says Hahn, is part of the European Union’s readiness to work with and to help the new government in the implementation of the reforms.
“This group will include the same senior experts who prepared a report with recommendations related to the intercepted communications in 2015. Their work contributed to the Urgent Reform Priorities drawn up by the Commission which was enshrined in the Przino Agreement. The Senior Experts’ Group will visit the country soon to carry out an analysis of the current situation, follow-up on their previous findings and provide recommendations on how to address concerns in relation to systemic rule of law issues, on which there has been backsliding in recent years”, said Hahn.
The European Commissioner added that he asked the Head of the EU Delegation in the country, Samuel Žbogar to discuss with the new government for broader reform priorities related to the European Union with specific deadlines for implementation and how the EU can help with the implementation of the reforms.
“We are committed to working with the new government, as well as the opposition, to bring the country back on the path to EU integration that the citizens want and deserve”, said Hahn’s statement.
