Skopje, 23 April 2025 (MIA) - The Growth Plan and Reform Agenda are not merely prerequisites for integration, they are instruments for healing our society. Reforms are not just about meeting the European Commission’s requirements, they're about every citizen who wants better education, efficient administration, clean air, fair justice, and dignified work. The Agenda offers a framework for building a fairer, greener, and more advanced society, but for it to succeed, the reforms must be effective, inclusive, and transparent. These were among the key messages delivered at the opening of the roundtable on the challenges and benefits of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

In his opening address, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski stated that every nation faces moments when it must choose between remaining in comfortable stagnation or embracing the need for deep and courageous change and that the country is currently at such a crossroads, between the old system and a new European future.

“The Growth Plan and Reform Agenda are not merely prerequisites for integration, they are instruments for healing our society. Integration and growth are our compass, but reforms must be our own decisions, our policies, our national maturation,” Mickoski said.

Mickoski noted that the corruption is a systemic problem, a system that protects itself, and that if we want growth, that system must be dismantled.

“If we want to join the European Union, if we want growth, we must dismantle that system. We have inherited situations where citizens feel humiliated, powerless, and forced to “pay to receive,” whether it’s medical care, legal protection, or some administrative service. A state like that cannot progress,” Mickoski said.

Justice is the highest European value, and our responsibility, Mickoski underscored, as politicians is to create conditions for the complete depoliticization of the judiciary, protect prosecutors and judges from political and business pressures, and establish new mechanisms for external oversight and accountability. “Real, not just formal support for institutions fighting corruption,” he added.

Mickoski said that history will not judge us by what we have said, but by what we have done. "We don't need more strategies or promises. What we need is sincerity, consistency, and implementation. We need a new approach to justice, to the law, to the state," Mickoski added.

In his opening address, Minister of European Affairs, Orhan Murtezani, said that the reforms for 2024-2027 are part of a bigger picture and are not merely about meeting the European Commission's requirements, but also about every citizen who desires better education, efficient administration, clean air, fair justice, and dignified work. 

Murtezani noted that the Reform Agenda covers the most important priorities, such as the rule of law, digital transformation, the green transition, human capital and good governance.

“We have taken concrete steps: new laws for budget transparency, the implementation of an internal control system, operational plans for the energy transition, and reforming vocational secondary education. All of this is not just about numbers in reports, but about securing a better future for the young generation,” Murtezani said.

"The future is not something that happens, it is something that is built," he said, adding that through establishing new legal frameworks for the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Judicial Council, creating regional centers for vocational education, and developing models for innovative and green economies, we are not just creating Europeanization on paper, but fostering development based on trust, inclusivity, and sustainability.

“The future is not a matter of postponed decisions, but of timely and responsible steps. It is shaped today through a deeper understanding and collective will, not only by the government but by everyone who believes that North Macedonia has the capacity and right to succeed,” Murtezani said.

Swedish Ambassador, Ami Larsson Jain, noted that the reform agenda provides a framework for building a fairer, greener, and more advanced society. However, for it to be successful, the reforms must be effective, inclusive, and transparent. 

“Sweden remains a committed partner to North Macedonia on its path to EU membership. Together with Switzerland, we aim to strengthen democratic institutions, encourage rule of law and enhance good governance,” Larsson Jain said.

According to Larsson Jain, media freedom, the inclusion of civil society, and youth participation are the fundamental cornerstones of democratic and sustainable development, and they represent values that are an essential part of our support.

“The media, civil society, and youth organizations are the drivers of change. Your active involvement is the key to shaping significant reform efforts. Civil society organizations and the media play a particularly crucial role in promoting democratic reforms and encouraging transparency,” Larsson Jain said.

At the roundtable on the challenges and benefits of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, held at the Government, Vladimir Drobnjak, Croatia’s former chief EU negotiator and current UNOPS expert, and professor and researcher, UNOPS expert, Aleksandar Stojkov, are also participating.

Drobjnak will address the closed session of the roundtable with a presentation on "The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans – A Catalyst for Reforms and the EU Integration Process," while Stojkov will review the Reform Agenda – Challenges and Opportunities for the Western Balkans.

The roundtable is organized by the Ministry of European Affairs in cooperation with the project "Support to European Integration of North Macedonia," funded by Sweden, Switzerland, and the Ministry of European Affairs, and implemented by UNOPS.

Photo: Government/screenshot