Skopje, 23 September 2022 (MIA) – We have the necessary capacity and motivation to adequately prepare the country and the institutions by building a strong and well-integrated administrative capacity of the law enforcement agencies and other relevant bodies, which are expected to meet the required standards, said Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European affairs and the country’s chief EU negotiator, Bojan Marichikj, at Friday’s explanatory screening meeting in Brussels on Chapter 24 “Justice, Freedom and Security.” Marichikj stated that the Macedonian negotiating team in this field is building on the previous experience and is continuing with the new legislation from 2019 until now, stressing that this is a great advantage which we should use and valorize. According to Marichikj, Chapter 24 is at the “heart of the negotiations,” along with Chapter 23, now a part of the “Fundamentals” Cluster in line with the new methodology, for which he expressed his belief that the vision on where the country is now and where the country should be in 2030 will be reflected in the required Rule of Law Roadmap. In his address, the Deputy PM pointed out everything that North Macedonia has done thus far in the fight against terrorism, stating that the country has adopted the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism – in order to comply with the 5th AML Directive on of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing (2018/843) and the revised recommendations by the Financial Action Task Force. “The Joint Action Plan on Counter-Terrorism for the Western Balkans between the European Commission and the Macedonian institutions is continuously being implemented,” added Marichikj. Marichikj further stated that the Government adopted the National Assessment of the Risk of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism in March 2020 and mentioned the adopted National Plan for reintegration, re-socialization, and rehabilitation of returning foreign terrorist fighters and associated family members through the participation of multiple state institutions and social actors, with the aim of implementing the established priorities in the prevention of violent extremism and radicalization. Friday marks the end of the second day of the screening meetings on Chapter 24 “Justice, Freedom and Security.” The explanatory screening meetings on Chapter 23 – “Judiciary and fundamental rights” are set to begin on Monday. ad/ba/