Skopje, 10 November 2025 (MIA) — Every EU-aligned reform the country implements will add to the national balance and benefit companies, institutions and citizens, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Viktorija Trajkov told a panel Monday at the Economic Chamber on the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the national reform agenda's importance for the business community.

According to the Ministry for European Affairs in a press release, Deputy Minister Trajkov said the aim of the Growth Plan was to reduce economic disparities between the Western Balkan countries and EU member states, which would improve national living standards.

"The government pays great attention to implementing the steps outlined in the reform agenda, an obligation we have taken on that I hope we will implement consistently and in its entirety," she told the gathering of EU representatives and businesspeople.

"The financial assistance provided under the reform agenda, however, is not a gift," she said, highlighting that progress requires work. 

"Each reform will add to our balance, and the final outcome will be felt by companies, institutions and citizens above all," Trajkov said, urging the business community to "join forces and work together, because this is the only way we can move forward and achieve success on our path to the EU."

The deputy minister said the country was the first in the region to receive pre-financing funds under the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans in support of investments and reforms aimed at strengthening economic integration.

The reform goals include "facilitating access to loans for small and medium-sized enterprises, overcoming administrative barriers, a more efficient regime and transparency regarding state assistance and dealing with the informal economy," Trajkov said.

"The list of reform goals is long," she said. "We have implemented some of these goals and some are yet to be implemented."

The deputy minister also recalled that the country had recently joined the Single Euro Payments Area, allowing citizens and companies to make and receive payments in euro under the same basic conditions as EU member states.

Joining SEPA, she said, would also facilitate companies' payments to foreign partners, which would stimulate exports and make room for new jobs. mr/