Skopje, 1 April 2024 (MIA) - Cooperation with civil society must continue at a greater level in order to achieve the goal of joining the European Union, harmonization with European standards and implementing reforms. We are not giving up on the future of this country, our future is in Europe, and I believe that we can do it together, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Bojan Marichikj said on Monday after a meeting with representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs) entitled "Cooperation and Dialogue with Civil Society – Status and Perspectives."

"This government carefully considered the analyses, opinions and attitudes of the civil sector, especially the ones that are critical of us. This is part of the dialogue we are having and it must continue in the future. Commitment and analyses from CSOs have been integrated into the reform policies of SDSM’s Government over the past seven years," Marichikj said.

He emphasized that the role of civil society was crucial in the preparation and adoption of strategies and laws for anti-corruption, anti-discrimination, social and health care, transparency, accountability and openness of institutions, justice system and public administration reforms, as well as policies for the promotion of multiculturalism and EU integration.

Future plans and promises, Marichikj noted, have already been outlined, of which three are key: the continuous operation of an independent, representative, functional and effective Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society, promotion of the system of state funding of CSOs, their involvement in the EU negotiations process through the adoption of a participation model in the process of accession negotiations with EU and improvement of the model for the election of representatives of civil society in the sectorial working groups for the IPA programme.

"Our Government is open to dialogue and cooperation in order to achieve common goals and build a committed society. The European path is our priority agenda, as well as the civil sector’s, this is in the interest of all citizens, and most of all in order ensure a quality and prosperous future for young people, the future generations of this country," Marichikj stressed.

SDSM leader Dimitar Kovachevski said that this is an opportunity to recapitulate what has been done and what can be done in the future to improve cooperation, emphasizing CSOs’ role in the preparation of laws and strategies for the promotion of democracy in the country and the status of various groups in society.

"We believe that the involvement of civil society is at the partnership level, and accelerating the Europeanization of society is one of our key objectives. We will maintain and extend the principle of inclusion in the processes, because there is a need for its greater involvement in the processes of creating legal solutions, especially in negotiations with EU, and we will count on it in our future term," Kovachevski said.ssh/ad/

Photo: MIA