Skopje, 28 April 2026 (MIA) - The country is working on ten critical steps from the Reform Agenda that are extensive, one of them is the reform of the Electoral Code, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of European Affairs Bekim Sali told journalists Tuesday quizzed about reforms and the European Commission’s 2025 Report.

“One of the specific steps is the Electoral Code which requires broader consensus, we cannot do that in a single day just to fulfill that step. The funds that we are talking about are EUR 8 million for each step. However, we have to ask ourselves whether the financial aspect is the main motive or the fulfillment of a step with the goal of having a functional system. I think as politicians we need to think about future processes,” Sali said.

The First Deputy Prime Minister said the Government has not yet received the European Commission’s Report and it is expected to be delivered this week. He said the Macedonian public knows the Report is positive and steps 16 to 21 have been accepted.

“This is an excellent sign for us. The warnings of Commissioner Kos and MEP Waitz refer to announcements for the upcoming period, specifically this period until June, for which we have two months, and I believe there are around 10 critical points. These are critical points within the grace period. They do not refer to the other ongoing points and steps that we must also implement. We are working across all areas, both on steps that we need to fulfill in the grace period and in the regular period. I see their warning as a preventive signal for our country, we need to work harder,” Sali said.

The Deputy Prime Minister said work on six of the ten critical steps is nearing the end, and they are expected to conclude by the end of April, so the Government can have a two-month period for adaptation and possible changes.

“We must admit they are very specific and it is no coincidence they have remained behind, but we expect to implement most of these steps, some have already finished. In terms of the other 27 regular steps, I expect most of them to be implemented by our institutions,” Sali underscored.

The Ambassador of the European Union, Michalis Rokas, echoed the Deputy Prime Minister’s statement that there are ten steps to be fulfilled by June, which is the grace period.

“This is the system, the way the Reform Agenda works, and if they expire and are not fulfilled, the money is lost. Now, the Government and the various ministries that are concerned by these ten steps are working very hard to achieve them. And that was the warning. And this warning was not sent only to North Macedonia, but also to the other candidate countries that implement the respective reform agendas. So there's hard work ongoing. I cannot predict what will happen, we have to wait until the end of June to see,” Rokas said.

The Ambassador added that the reporting period for the steps of June 2026 is also currently underway.

“My team and myself, we are in very close cooperation with all ministries, and we see that there is momentum. But I cannot predict what will be the outcome at end of June. We have to wait until then,” Rokas said.

Photo: MIA