Skopje, 29 April 2023 (MIA) - As part of his working visit to Brussels, the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European affairs Bojan Marichikj met with Simon Mordue, Foreign Policy Advisor of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel and discussed the EU perspective of North Macedonia and the region in terms of the new geopolitical reality.

“We have the same desire and goal, to soon see North Macedonia in the EU. The EU door is open, we must fulfil the requirements we have and continue with the countries that started EU accession negotiations on their paths towards EU membership,” said Marichikj, the Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release.

According to the Secretariat for European Affairs, the interlocutors agreed that this year North Macedonia should successfully fulfil part of its obligations towards EU and open the first cluster - Fundamental Values.

Deputy PM and EU chief negotiator said at the meeting that the Macedonian Government is aware of the challenges and that it is ready to work on overcoming them and on European reforms.

Mordue said stated that there is a positive mood in the European Union for enlargement and that it is a chance for the region and North Macedonia to now secure the obvious European perspective, which requires quick results, and not just a declarative commitment to European integration.

Marichikj and Mordue expressed belief that the dynamics of the EU accession negotiations process will be maintained and will gain continuity, which is why the Deputy Prime Minister believes that "we should see this process as an excellent opportunity to quickly master the European rules, thus becoming an EU member state".

In addition, Deputy PM Marichikj and the acting director for the Western Balkans at the Directorate for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Michela Matuella held a coordination meeting regarding the course of the negotiation process and the future steps to be taken until the completion of the screening process.

Marichikj said that we appreciate the support from the European institutions in the negotiation process and that a strong focus is placed on the next progress towards the EU, with the belief that, as he added, "We will manage to open important political chapters this year."

“They also discussed the current reforms implemented by North Macedonia in areas such as the rule of law, democratic institutions and public administration reform,” Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release.

Photo: The Secretariat for European Affairs