Skopje, 31 July 2022 (MIA) – Everything is in our hands and this is good, we do not depend on other countries and I believe that the constitutional changes can be passed by the end of the screening if MPs and political parties act in a wise and responsible way, says Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj. In an interview with Telma TV, Deputy PM Marichikj says the screening, which he expects to last for 16 months, gives enough room for dialogue with political parties and lawmakers, in order to see when this would be logical and most appropriate. “I think we need to open a comprehensive discussion that will lead us into the content of the constitutional changes, which I believe is not disputable, since we have to made additions in the Preamble and another amendment of several communities that are not listed in the Constitution,” says Marichikj. According to him, North Macedonia is well positioned to successfully complete the screening, because the country is at the same level or in certain parts even better than the countries that have been negotiating with the EU for ten years now. “Our analyses have shown that the level of alignment is about 45 percent, which is good. There are areas where we are even better than the countries already negotiating, such as the ‘Fundamentals’, in which we top the region, ahead of the countries that have been negotiating for a decade. Of course, there are areas, such as the internal market, that require lots of work,” adds Marichikj. The Deputy PM says they would focus on implementation of the EU legislation in the coming period, a dynamic activity that depends on the institutional capacity but also political will.