Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, accompanied by Deputy Prime Ministers Radmila Šekerinska, Bujar Osmani and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, met with EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, this afternoon.
The government reported that at the meeting they began preparations for the screening process (Screening of the acquis) regarding the current situation and the chapters that were of note, along with a date for negotiations. Also discussed was the envisaged series of steps ahead for the implementation of the agreement with the Republic of Greece, as well as the main points for strengthening the reforms in the chapters that are expected to be launched in June, next year. The chapters, i.e. the areas where progress still needs to be made, are; the rule of law, judiciary and fundamental rights.
The two delegations expressed confidence that the genuine partnership with the European Commission will continue and both agreed on a joint proposal for negotiating a framework that will realistically represent the situation in the Republic of Macedonia, and will bring about the most important priorities for the reforms in the upcoming period.
“The joint conclusion of the meeting was that this process should be maximally inclusive to animate all the structures in Macedonian society, in order to create the best teams who will work on aligning the chapters of the European “acquis“. The joint message from the meeting is that there is no time for celebration, there are 365 working days for intensive work in order to achieve the historic task of successful and swift negotiations for EU membership for the Republic of Macedonia”, reads the government statement.
