Skopje, 29 March 2023 (MIA) – The Media for EU – program by the civil society for media participation in the EU accession negotiations project starts now and will last throughout 2026. The basic goal of the project is to upgrade media capacities to cover, monitor and question the negotiating process.

Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj said the danger of disinformation is higher now than ever, given it is orchestrated, organized and connected directly to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as the political instability in certain countries in the region.

“It’s untrue that Macedonians and other peoples and communities in this country that respond to polls are against the EU, I am sure that EU membership is 85-90% supported. The ones saying they’re less enthusiastic are disappointed but pro-European citizens, with everything that’s happened in previous years, disappointed that we still don’t have an exact date of becoming an EU member state, and disappointed in the tempo of the reforms. We can turn things around if we work together. The Government, the civil society and the media have a joint mission,” Marichikj said.

The Government is available to help with this project and process with its information, data and presence.

“This is an exceptionally important project and process. The new methodology politicizes the process, the bureaucracy works and it adapts to political questions, and we have to bring the accession process closer to the citizens. The deeper we enter thematic discussions, chapters, clusters, the better we can explain to the citizens why it’s important to speed things along. We have to inform the citizens of many things,” Marichikj said.

EU Ambassador David Geer said the media and civil society’s role will be key in explaining the process, the analysis of the upcoming challenges, helping understand the development and bringing the accession negotiations to the citizens’ homes.

“The EU has supported projects that involve the media and civil society in the media sector between 2015-2020, valued over EUR 3 million. Lately, we are funding projects valued at EUR 1.4 million to support the harmonization of the national legislation with EU’s and much more. The project we start today is an additional example of our constant support for this sector. We live in very challenging times. In the past 3 years alone, we survived an unprecedented global pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine which challenges the foundations of post-war safety and architecture. There is a new sense of urgency in the EU and the leaders of the Western Balkans and others in terms of the accession process,” Geer said.

Geer added that the representatives of the media and civil society have a special responsibility to understand these developments, explain them, question them, while the Government needs to continue with its reforms, and the EU to continue towards fulfilling its promises.

“We need you as partners on the path to the EU. We want this country in the EU, but we can’t do it without you,” Geer said, addressing the media and civil society. dk/nn/