Skopje, 28 March 2025 (MIA) – Minister of European Affairs, Orhan Murtezani, noted that the progress in implementing the reform agenda of the Growth Plan for the country is good, but not enough, during Friday’s presentation of measures from Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the Reform Agenda 2024-2027 for North Macedonia at a joint press conference with the EU Ambassador Michalis Rokas.

In response to a journalist’s question, Murtezani said that according to the Reform Agenda adopted in Brussels, reforms not completed by the set deadline automatically enter a 12-month grace period. However, he stressed that this should not be considered a mitigating circumstance for us, as each period includes additional reforms, and if we do not implement them on time, they will accumulate, which, in the end, would mean that they will not be successfully realized.

“So far, there has been no such feedback from the implementation process. In my view, as the national coordinator, the implementation process is satisfactory, but it needs to be further strengthened. This is because, if by December we had only five reform steps, by June we will have 16, and by the end of the year, 45. Additionally, it’s not only the Reform Agenda, as there are other reform processes in the country that need to go in parallel and adhere to the deadlines,” he said.

Asked whether it is possible that if the reforms are delayed, the funds from the Growth Plan, totalling €750.4 million, could be revoked, considering the experience with the use of IPA funds, Murtezani emphasized that since the beginning of his mandate, he has called for strengthening the country’s capacity to utilize IPA funds, and if we do not take concrete steps, the same could happen with the Reform Agenda from the Growth Plan.

“As a minister, I have an agenda for implementing these activities, and this goes beyond the issues we had with IPA. So far, we have a clear signal that the progress in implementation is really good, but it’s not enough, as the number of reforms needs to be increased,” he said.

When asked where he thinks the reforms are most delayed, in which institution, and which is the weakest link, Murtezani said that in the judicial sector, the reforms are progressing a bit more slowly, and he hopes their pace will increase.

Photo: Ministry of European Affairs