Skopje, 28 March 2023 (MIA) - The process of constitutional changes will begin before the summer and we expect it to be successful, followed by regular elections in mid-2024. It is important that we stick to our commitments on the European path, said Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj on Tuesday.

Deputy PM Marichikj said the procedure of setting up a working group on the constitutional changes is nearly completed.

"I expect the Ministry of Justice to present the group members in the coming days, so that it immediately starts working on the formulation of the constitutional amendments. The current atmosphere in the Parliament is one where the opposition wants to avoid the topic of constitutional changes. I think this is not beneficial for anyone and we should open this debate as soon as possible. The amendments will go through a debate, first through the civil society organizations and academic institutions, so that we give room for exchange of arguments and opinions, and go into the core of the changes.This will create an atmosphere for a proper debate in the Parliament, primarily on whether we want and how fast we want to join the EU, because this is the real question, not Bulgaria," said Marichikj.

He believes there is sufficient time to complete the constitutional revision process by November.

"The last revision of the Constitution lasted about 3-4 months. I believe we should launch the process before the summer, probably May or June, in order to finish within the deadline," said Marichikj.

He noted that the Government remained open for the opposition's proposals, while adding, "they cannot run away from this issue".

"This process exceeds the mandate of one government or parliament. It is important to have all key political stakeholders on the table. I regret the fact that VMRO-DPMNE is still running away from discussions on the issue. This matter cannot be avoided, it will be on the table now, in six months, in a year or two. The experience with the Greece dispute has shown that delaying and ignoring problems does not make them disappear. On the contrary, it makes them bigger and more difficult to solve after a while. Therefore, we will continue to call on the VMRO-DPMNE leadership and MPs to engage in the process," said Marichikj.

On the possibility of other constitutional changes besides the ones related to the Euro-integration process, as mentioned by Justice Minister Krenar Lloga, the Deputy PM said it is logical to focus on the commitments arising from the negotiating framework.

"This gives us the best chance for success within a reasonable timeframe. Any additional issue is worth discussing but I do not think now is the right time because it would take more time and energy, but also make the process more complicated," underlined Marichikj.