Skopje, 5 October 2022 (MIA) - Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj took part Wednesday in Strasbourg at the 20th meeting of the North Macedonia-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), the first since the country opened the Union accession negotiations. Deputy PM Marichikj said in his remarks that the Parliament will be the key partner in the EU accession process, determining the pace of the negotiations, especially considering the role and activities of its working bodies – the European Affairs Committee and the National Euro-Integration Council, the Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release. “North Macedonia waited for the start of the Union accession talks for 17 years. It now needs a national consensus and we will define mechanisms so that all lawmakers are engaged in the process. We should seize this historic moment of fulfilling our strategic goal – North Macedonia becoming a member of the EU,” Marichikj told the JPC. He presented the new negotiating structure that is set to respond to the new methodology but also ensure transparency and inclusiveness of the process, which requires the engagement and cooperation of various stakeholders, such as civil society, academic and business communities etc. The Deputy PM reaffirmed the Government’s commitment in securing an unhindered process of negotiations, in parallel with the maintenance of goodneighborly relations and realization of undertaken commitments. In addition, he referred to the Government’s activities and progress in certain chapters, as well as planned activities within the explanatory screening. Michela Matuella, Acting Director for the Western Balkans at the European Commission’s DG NEAR, said the start of the accession negotiations marks the start of a new stage in North Macedonia-EU relations, whereas the screening process is not only a technical but also a transformative process. Ilhan Kyuchyuk, North Macedonia Rapporteur in the European Parliament, said the process of negotiations is in safe hands and North Macedonia deserves praise for its commitment to Euro-integration, regional cooperation and goodneughborly relations, reads the press release.