Skopje, 10 March 2025 (MIA) — The European Union should show leadership in resolving bilateral and regional problems as well as continue supporting the Western Balkan countries as they implement the reforms required for EU membership, Minister of Justice Igor Filkov said in his remarks at a Ljubljana conference dedicated to criminal justice system integrity in the Western Balkans.

According to the Ministry of Justice in a press release, Minister Filkov recalled that the country had been fighting for its place in the EU for two decades.

"On the way to this ultimate goal, we have faced many challenges and conditions we need to meet. But, as we all know, bilateral misunderstandings and disputes with our neighbors have become the biggest obstacle to our European prospects. And you will all agree that these practices go against the EU values, which are the cornerstone of integration, cooperation and respect for the law," Filkov said.

This is why the EU needed to show leadership and political will for integrating the Western Balkans, he said. "It must be clear that there is a readiness and space to eliminate bilateral disputes between EU candidate countries and member states. Not only in line with the Copenhagen criteria, but beyond them – in the name of regional stability and European integration," he added.

According to Filkov, the EU needs to face the new global political reality. "The EU must show it is ready for new challenges and it has the capacity to survive as a strong, undivided, and globally competitive union," he said.

"We cannot miss this moment. We need to walk together," the Macedonian justice minister said, adding: "We have no more time to lose. Europe is waiting for us!” 

In his remarks, Filkov also listed some reforms being implemented in the legal system, such as adopting the Law on Civil Asset Forfeiture and the Law on the Asset Recovery Office.

“Our preparations for the new Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, which will be aligned with European standards and international practice, are of exceptional importance," he noted, adding that the government was also drafting a law on protecting whistleblowers.

As other achievements, Filkov listed the legal system's digitization process and the progress in implementing recommendations issued by the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption. GRECO’s recommendations are issued to improve the capacity of states to fight corruption by monitoring their compliance with anti-corruption standards.

Filkov told the conference that at GRECO's upcoming plenary meeting in Strasbourg on March 17-19, the 5th round of evaluation for the Republic of North Macedonia was expected to be closed. "This is a major success, because out of the total of 23 recommendations, we have fully implemented 17, partially implemented six, and there are none we have not implemented," he said.

"With this, our country stands out as one of the fastest countries to be closing this evaluation round," Filkov added.

Organized by the Ministry of Justice of Slovenia and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime with the support of the United Kingdom, the high-level international conference "Toward the EU: Enhancing integrity and independence of criminal justice in the Western Balkans" is taking place in Ljubljana on March 10-11.

Its aim is to provide an opportunity for representatives of governmental institutions, criminal justice institutions, international and regional organizations and civil society to discuss issues related to strengthening a culture of integrity, according to organizers. mr/