Skopje, 1 November 2024 (MIA) – Minister of European Affairs Orhan Murtezani told Friday's joint press conference with the EU Ambassador Michalis Rokas that it is crucial to strengthen the capacities of the institutions in implementing the EU-related reforms. 

"Problems with the institutions' capacities to deal with the implementation of the reforms have been noted in all previous reports for years, but given that we are now finalizing the preparations, and we need to prepare for the opening of Cluster 1, of course it is crucial to strengthen the capacities of the Ministry of European Affairs, as well as the other line ministries," said Murtezani.  

He added that the process of coordination of the institutions in implementing the reform agenda is being intensified, noting that this has been discussed several times at government sessions. 

"This structure will have to be strengthened, and it has to be done with professional staff that can be directly involved. Until the structure is strengthened with professional staff, we will have to rely on the support from the European Delegation, as well as the technical support from various donors in our country," Murtezani said asked to comment on criticism to the Ministry of European Affairs that it does not have the capacity to deal with the reform process.

He pointed out that the number of professional staff at the institutions will be increased, in order to implement the reform agenda.

"Such experts are already working at the Ministry of European Affairs through various projects. This number will increase over the next three months in order to have a solid structure for the implementation of the reform agenda, so that the absorption capacity of both the Ministry and the institutions can be strengthened," the Minister said.

In response to a reporter's question on whether there is a backup plan if a political government is not formed in Bulgaria to continue the talks, Murtezani said it was not the time to build hypothetical theses. 

"What is important at the moment is that everything that needed to be said has been said, and now is the time to work on finding a solution," Murtezani said. 

As regards the transparency of institutions, he said it has been agreed at the latest government session that transparency should be greater.

"These are certain technical issues that need to be overcome soon. Once they are overcome, we will continue to be transparent because we have no reason to hide the Government's work," said the Minister. 

Murtezani also noted that the Ministry of European Affairs has analysed the Report, adding that the most simplified qualification when reading the Report is that progress has been made, i.e. that there is a slight upward trend.

"The country's overall preparedness score for 2024 is a good level of preparedness, i.e. 3.22 compared to 3.13 in 2023. And it is solid and consistent compared to several years before. In relation to the other candidate countries in the region, I would say that our level of preparedness is still the highest, which is yet another indicator that North Macedonia is not only ready for the accession negotiations, but the comparative analysis indicates that we have cumulative progress," Murtezani said. 

He pointed out that the Report is published in one day, but is read 365 days a year, because it is not only an evaluation of the country's activities so far, but also a roadmap for the next steps on the European path, and that a key point is how to integrate these recommendations into the country's political and economic strategies.

"This is a challenge that we accept with responsibility and determination. We are aware that the success of the European file depends on joint efforts — from the Government, through the Parliament, to the civil society sector. Through cooperation and open dialogue, as the basis of our efforts to promote our European future. Only in this way can the dream of membership in the European Union become a reality. As the Chief EU Negotiator together with the expert services at the Ministry of European Affairs, I remain firmly committed to the continuous development of our capacities and to achieving the strategic goals of North Macedonia," Murtezani said. 

Photo/video: Government