Strumica, 1 September 2023 (MIA) - Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj said Friday that the country will join the European Union in 2030, and the commitment to joining the EU is aimed at preserving stability, prosperity, cooperation and success.  

"After a long time, the European agenda and perspective is not just a dream, but a reality. We got a timeline that in 2030 it is really possible to join the EU. By waiting, we're losing opportunities every day, with every day spent outside the EU our people have fewer opportunities... Be assured that we will join the EU in 2030," Marichikj told a public forum titled "Macedonian Labor – European Social Policy" in Strumica on Friday, held as part of the "We Are Europe" campaign organized by the Secretariat for European Affairs.

According to him, the country shares many values ​​with the European Union.

Addressing the forum, Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Jovanka Trenchevska, said that many European practices and decisions are being implemented in the country, one of them being the Youth Guarantee that has been implemented since 2018, as well as the youth allowance for those who want to be involved in the production process after completing their education. 

"The self-employment measure in the country is also a European measure - 44 percent of the beneficiaries of the measure are young people. We extended the IT advanced skills measure for young people in the country to 40 years, so that as many young people as possible can get involved. It enables European salaries, work for European companies, work from here, in the country, so that our young people stay here and receive European wages. The draft law on labor relations carries European values. Working from home and remotely is what young people want, and it will be made possible by this law," Trenchevska pointed out.

Blagica Eftimova, a young entrepreneur, pointed out that today we stand on the edge where our future, as well as the future of our generations, is defined.

Strumica Mayor Kostadin Kostadinov said there is no better place to talk about the European Union than the municipality that shares its colors with it.

"Until a while ago, we only talked about EU integration, but we did not have a system of values ​​as a tangible example for citizens. But I am a really proud person and a politician that we have a Government that works hard and is in symbiosis with the EU Delegation and all the embassies, and that makes the EU's approach to the Republic of North Macedonia go to the local level as well," the Strumica Mayor pointed out.

Secretary General of the Macedonian Parliament, Cvetanka Ivanova, MPs from the region, members of the Council of the Municipality of Strumica and citizens also attended Friday's forum. 

Following Strumica, the "We Are Europe" campaign continues in Bitola. 

Photo: MIA