Skopje, 24 February 2023 (MIA) – Deputy PM for European Affairs, Bojan Marichikj, said on Friday that North Macedonia would block itself by not adopting the constitutional amendments. Now, he added, it is no longer up to Bulgaria whether we will open the EU negotiation chapters, it is up to us.

“The public was tired from the antiquization and the dispute with Greece that lasted 10 years. We decided that we will not wait 10 years to resolve an issue. It would have been much easier for the government to dismiss the difficult conditions and to say we won’t accept anything and end up ruling for 10 years like that,” said Marichikj in an interview with Makfax.

The veto, he said, is no longer in the hands of Paris, Athens or Sofia, it’s in our hands and we depend on ourselves.

“The conditions are difficult and it’s not fair, it wasn't easy for us either when we negotiated. On the contrary, it was very difficult, because we understood that the conditions are very difficult. But that was the only opportunity, the only way for us to begin negotiations. It is time to recognize these opportunities and to make use of them. We have missed a lot of opportunities in the past,” said Marichikj.

According to the Deputy PM, the conditions for the beginning of negotiations are difficult and not fair, but, he noted, Albania had difficult conditions too. They had to dismiss the entire judiciary and to appoint new judges in a span of three or four years, said the Deputy PM, explaining that North Macedonia was directly instructed by the EU not to carry out a re-election in the judiciary without the EU’s approval, because they would not support the process.

Touching upon the period during which he was the Minister of Justice, Marichikj said that 34 courts launched digitization processes and that a successful census was carried out after 20 years. The new methodology for assessing and dismissing judges also entered into force, while the budget of the judiciary and the wages of the judges and the prosecutors were increased.

“I am proud of the census that was carried out after 20 years, and the adoption of certain legal amendments. Like the amendments of the Electoral Code, at the request of VMRO-DPMNE, that added fingerprint identification, and the amendments of the Criminal Code that strengthened the protection of journalists,” said Marichikj.

He stressed that he never abused his official card and never spent more than the ministerial average.

“All receipts with my signature are related to some official activity. I am glad that after the story came out, the receipts of other colleagues were revealed as well, and a comparison can be made showing that my receipts do not deviate from the ministerial average,” said Marichikj, clarifying that the government has a rulebook on official expenses and that he has a report for each receipt. ad/nn/