Skopje, 28 June 2022 (MIA) – It is in everyone’s interest for the negotiations to start now. The EU stays with North Macedonia, we are the largest donor in the country and we support the reforms in various areas. We also invest in infrastructure, jobs and businesses, EU Ambassador David Geer told the first session of the 19^th meeting of the European Union-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee (EU-NRM JPC) taking place in the Parliament on Tuesday. Speaking on behalf of the European External Action Service and the European Commission, Geer said that despite important geopolitical developments at the EU Summit, unfortunately, accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania could not be opened, stressing that efforts are ongoing. “I’m aware of the wave of public frustration and disappointment. Many understand that EU membership gives the best prospect for stability, prosperity and for the country’s democratic future. They cannot understand why the country can’t make progress on the EU path. We need to do better,” said Geer. Ambassador Geer noted that the country has made progress in judicial reforms, in implementing the 2017-2022 Judicial Reform Strategy, pointing to the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors as an example in the region. He also stressed that progress in the digitalization of judiciary will be key to ensuring transparency and efficiency, as well as to increasing public trust in institutions. “We are waiting on the completion of the number of judges in the Constitutional Court, without which it would not be able to function,” said Geer. North Macedonia, he continued, regularly submits air quality reports to the European Environment Agency, and has a plan for waste reduction and management, as well as progress in the area of rescue and emergency with the launch of the European emergency number 112. “In terms of health, the country has adopted a strategy until 2030 including an Action Plan. There’s loss of medical staff in this sector. North Macedonia has become a member of the Joint Procurement Mechanism and is an observer within the Health Security, which provides access to the early warning system,” Geer said. Civil society and professional media, he added, are an essential value of democracy. “Civil Society Organizations in North Macedonia continue to follow government policies and contribute to both civic and state institutions. They can also be valuable in the fight against fake news and hate speech. The Parliament should urgently appoint members of the media regulator and the councils for audio and audiovisual services,” Geer said. The country, he stressed, has one hundred percent alignment with the common European foreign and security policy, and last month’s working meeting as part of the Jean Monnet dialogue confirmed the process that started in 2018. “Unfortunately, the Parliament is increasingly a victim of political polarization between the ruling party and the opposition. This has a serious negative impact on the legislative agenda and affects broader reforms,” said Geer. Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj pointed out it was very important to maintain and fulfill the commitment for accession of the Western Balkan countries to the European family, which dates back to the 2003 Thessaloniki Summit. “Today, more than ever, it is necessary and important that this happens without delay. That is why it is important to make a step forward in a positive direction, which will firmly guarantee the European future of our region,” Marichikj said. He noted that at the beginning of the year, the government started an open dialogue with Bulgaria in order to reach a dignified and mutually acceptable solution on the open issues. “As a government, we’ve always acted reasonably and openly to find reasonable solutions. However, we cannot accept a proposal that goes beyond our national positions,” said Marichikj. Regardless of the outcome of the French EU Presidency, to which Marichikj noted that the country remains fully committed, he stressed that the country continues to be fully committed to reform implementation and maintaining the country’s European course. Bulgarian MEP and European Parliament's Rapporteur for North Macedonia, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, said North Macedonia has an important role in the geopolitical context. “Unfortunately, as a European Parliament we failed to persuade some of the member states, including my country, to lift the veto much earlier, in order t5o give the green light to the future of North Macedonia and convene the first intergovernmental conference,” Kyuchyuk said. We know, he stressed, that even the EU sometimes fails, but when it comes to high democratic standards and living standards, the EU still leads the way. “I believe that even in the future the EU will be the best place to ensure the strategic interests of this country and your citizens. My appeal today is - let us unite on how to fights corruption, how to establish higher democratic standards and how to reform this country and make it better,” Kyuchyuk said. This situation, he stressed, is a triple loss – a loss for North Macedonia, as well as for Bulgaria and the EU. The EU-RNM JPC, set up in 2004 based on the Stabilization and Association Agreement, is a forum for exchange of experiences and positions towards strengthening mutual partnership. The committee meets twice a year – in the Parliament of North Macedonia and in the European Parliament.