Tetovo, 21 September 2022 (MIA) - EU Ambassador David Geer said Wednesday that the screening process, launched on September 15 by the European Commission, is taking place in a positive atmosphere with the delegation of North Macedonia being strongly engaged. It is a long process requiring engagement from all ministries, he told reporters in Tetovo where he attended the launching of a EU-funded project on improving Natura 2000 capacities. The process, Geer added, involves explanations regarding the standards the country should meet before becoming a member of the EU, and it goes in a positive direction. Reiterating it is a long process requiring a lot of hard work and engagement by the all ministries in the country, Geer said the time will come when the Environment Ministry will also have to join the process. He mentioned that the screening opens with the EU cluster Fundamentals, which covers rule of law, good governance, public administration reforms and public finance management. The screening process involves two phases - an explanatory screening since several years have passed since the holding of the initial explanatory meetings, and in parallel the bilateral screening will take place. The country during the bilateral screening should present the level of alignment with the EU legislation and the ability to build institutional and administrative capacities as well as the needed human, financial and IT resources for the implementation of European standards. The processes will be under way under the new revised methodology of negotiations during at least one year.