Skopje, 30 July 2024 (MIA) - The Government adopted on July 14 a draft version of the Reform Agenda and it has been forwarded to the European Commission for internal consultation. We expect to receive feedback by July 31, so that the Government can then adopt the final version of the Reform Agenda based on the feedback received, Minister of European Affairs told a press conference on Tuesday. 

He added that after the adoption, the Instrument for Reform and Growth and the loan agreement will be signed, to be followed by ratification in the Parliament.

Murtezani expressed expectation that the first tranche of the EC's Growth Plan should arrive in the second half of September.

In response to a reporter's question on whether the dissolution of the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors is included in the Reform Agenda and whether he expects a negative response from the EC, he said he was not authorized to publicly share information since it was a matter of a draft version.

"Since it is a draft version, i.e. data from other ministries that I am not authorized to share publicly, I will ask you to be patient until the 31st when we should receive feedback from the EC. It's not that I don't know, but I don't want to share information that I'm not authorized to share. This is information from the competent ministries, and therefore I cannot share it. When we receive an official response from the European Commission, of course I will share it," said Murtezani. 

The EU and the United States voiced concern over Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski's announcement about a potential dissolution of the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors.

"The dissolution of the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors would mean interfering in the independence of the judiciary and would be an issue of serious concern. The same applies to the idea of splitting the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors,” EU Ambassador Geer said addressing a conference at the beginning of July focused on the Judicial Council’s progress in the implementation of the EU peer review mission’s recommendations. 

In April and May 2024, the European Parliament and the Council reached an agreement on a €6 billion Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, underpinning the Reform and Growth Plan proposed by the European Commission, which constitutes an unprecedented offer to the Western Balkans to access some benefits of EU membership before accession. The Facility will provide increased financial assistance in exchange for socio-economic and fundamental reforms defined in ambitious Reform Agendas being prepared by the Western Balkan partners.

Of the €6 billion, €750 million are intended for the country, of which the first tranche will amount to seven percent, i.e. €52.5 million.

Photo: MIA archive