Skopje, 25 September 2022 (MIA) – It depends on North Macedonia how fast it moves along the European path and joins the European Union as a full-fledged member, says Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski. PM Kovachevski told MRTV the country is facing a big challenge in managing the fight against corruption and crime, but also strengthening the rule of law. He says North Macedonia has aligned 45 percent of its legislation with the EU Acquis but the more important thing is the laws’ implementation. “North Macedonia’s challenge, which is similar to all the countries that have gone through a broad social, economic and democratic transformation, namely countries of former Yugoslavia and the Eastern bloc, is the fight against corruption and the rule of law. All institutions and the individuals managing those institutions should have this as their top priority, because this is what the international community expects, this is what citizens expect, but also the businesses and the academia. This is something that we will have to do, of course with the help of our strategic partners,” says Kovachevski. According to him, North Macedonia’s strategic partnership with the United States gives the country experience, financial support and knowledge in the field of fighting corruption. “The country is supported by the European Union through so many projects, the IPA and other EU instruments, but also via the negotiations,” says PM Kovachevski.