Skopje, 20 July 2022 (MIA) — According to official data, North Macedonia has 45 percent of its national legislation already aligned with the EU acquis, and its EU accession talks could progress faster than Serbia’s and Montenegro’s membership negotiations, which have lasted for ten years, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj told Alsat-M television. Marichikj confirmed the screening process officially started on Monday, at the Brussels meeting held together with the delegation of the Republic of Albania. During the meeting, the next steps in the process were explained and a timeline set for necessary preparations. The deputy PM said the cluster and chapter-by-chapter screening process would start mid-September. During the first stage, he said, the European Commission would instruct North Macedonia as to what the country needed to align with before it was ready for EU membership. “Next is the bilateral stage, when member states get involved with their own findings, their own points of view,” Marichikj said. “This will last 14-16 months. During this period we will also have to prepare those key documents.” mr/