Skopje, 13 December 2023 (MIA) – The fight against corruption and the rule of law are at the heart of North Macedonia’s progress on its path to the Union, said EU Ambassador to North Macedonia, David Geer, in his address Wednesday at the sixth plenary conference of the National Convention on the European Union in the Republic of North Macedonia (NCEU-MK) held under the theme “National Convention on the European Union: Fundamental social values for the European future”.

“Above all, they are key for the citizens. Traveling through the country and meeting with the citizens I can see how much concern there is because of that and how much it all affects people on a daily basis, whether it’s a public service, school – education, health service, workplace, environment… The lack of an effective and independent system of rule of law leaves abuses go unpunished, rights aren’t respected, inequality is growing, the competition in innovation is coming to a halt, and worst of all, the citizens are increasingly more cynical and more resistant towards the institutions, and see no opportunity for change,” stressed Geer.

The Ambassador also highlighted the conclusion of the screening process last week, and congratulated everyone involved. Regarding the EC’s Report on the country’s progress, Ambassador Geer assessed it as “honest, open, but fair”.

“It noted no progress in the rule of law. The Report points to the conditions related to the controversial dismissal of the previous president of the Judicial Council and the lack of trust in the judges and institutions. It also urges greater effort in the cases of intimidation of judges. The peer review mission issued recommendations this week and concluded that current challenges in the functioning of the Judicial Council result from accumulated problems that were not addressed in a timely and systemic manner,” said Geer, adding that the shortcomings in the Judicial Council have spread throughout the judiciary, preventing it from fulfilling its duties and leading to a drop in public trust.

Geer said the Report noted no progress in the field of corruption.

“Corruption, as it was stated, remains the main biggest concern, and we saw there are delays in high corruption trials which result in the statute of limitations expiring in these cases. Similar concerns were also voiced due to the amendments to the Criminal Code, which we believe elevate the risk of impunity. Currently, I won’t talk about the process of selecting new members of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption because it is still ongoing, but I will say – what we expect, and I believe what every citizen of this country should expect is for the new SCPC to be on the same level as the previous one, if not better, we expect every member to work with dignity, integrity, and above all with dedication because you owe that to your citizens,” said Geer.

The EU Ambassador said the Union is monitoring the Western Balkans with urgency, partially because of the war in Ukraine, and noted that enlargement is a joint interest

“It’s about prosperity, democracy, stability and security. These facts will also be stressed later today in Brussels when the EU – Western Balkan Summit begins. The European project requires a constant, inclusive dialogue between all political stakeholders and other stakeholders in society, regarding key reforms within the EU itself, of course, but also within the candidate members as well,” said Geer.

The Ambassador said the National Convention adds additional value to the entire Euro-integration process.