Skopje, 26 October 2022 (MIA) — North Macedonia is continuing the reforms that lead to full EU membership and which have sped up with the start of negotiations; together with the European Commission, the country has set its priorities within the 2022-24 Program for Economic Reforms, according to Minister of Finance Fatmir Besimi and European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni in Brussels. According to the Ministry of Finance in a press release, the 2022-24 program’s priorities are to improve the education system; boost the competitiveness of local companies and their participation in global value chains; formalize the informal economy; and accelerate the green transition. These issues were also pointed out in the EC’s latest Progress Report on the country, and addressing them is expected to contribute to sustainable economic growth in the medium term. “The program for economic reforms contains macroeconomic and fiscal policies and indicators, structural reforms and measures to improve the country's competitiveness and reduce unemployment. It is prepared every year to align the country’s pre-accession economic policies with those of the EU,” the press release says. Minister Besimi said 2022 would be remembered as the year of achieving another milestone in North Macedonia’s EU accession process: After adopting the negotiating framework, holding the first intergovernmental conference and starting the screening process, the next stages would include the Ministry of Finance as the leading institution in eight chapters and four out of six clusters. According to the release, Besimi and Gentiloni also discussed the impact of the energy crisis on the domestic economy and the measures taken by the country to protect the citizens’ living standard. The European Commissioner expressed his support of the country’s policies, which had led to the approval of the EU's Macro Financial Assistance instrument for North Macedonia. mr/