EU Council’s draft conclusions call for review of electoral legislation, follow-up on recommendations of anti-corruption commission
Brussels, 3 November 2022 (MIA) – MIA saw the draft conclusions of the EU members following the progress report on North Macedonia, which welcome the progress made, but call for further efforts, MIA’s Brussels correspondent reports.
The Council welcomes the launch of North Macedonia’s accession negotiation process as a clear recognition of the progress achieved by North Macedonia on advancing the EU reform agenda, and welcomes that the European Commission already has advanced its work to carry out the process of analytical examination of the EU acquis (screening).
Following the local elections held in October 2021, the Council recalls the need for North Macedonia to carry out a comprehensive review of the electoral legislation and the importance for the authorities to continue to address the outstanding recommendations from OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission.
In the area of the judiciary, the draft conclusions welcome that some progress was made, but sustained efforts are needed to ensure the independence, professionalism and impartiality of the judicial system in the country. The Council emphasizes the need to ensure systematic implementation of the updated action plan on the judicial reform strategy and to step up the implementation of the human resources strategies for the judiciary and the prosecution.
The Council emphasises the importance for the concerned institutions to follow up on the recommendations of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption which pro-actively has continued its work and has opened several cases, including against high-level officials.
In addition, the Council calls on North Macedonia to continue its efforts to further strengthen fundamental rights, media freedom and freedom of expression.
The Council notes that limited progress has been made in the area of public administration reform. Ensuring respect for the principles of transparency, merit and equitable representation remains essential.
EU members welcome progress made in the field of rule of law, including the fight against corruption and organized crime, as well as the government’s commitment to sustain and accelerate the implementation of EU related reforms. The draft conclusions note that the sustainability of these structural reforms is a long-term process, which requires continuous engagement from both the government and the opposition.
The country has implemented a comprehensive reform of its intelligence and security services. The Council reiterates that the capacity for parliamentary oversight over the intelligence services needs to be strengthened.
In terms of good neighbourly relations, the Council recalls the importance of achieving tangible results and implementing in good faith bilateral agreements by all parties.
The Council strongly commends North Macedonia for its consistent cooperation on foreign policy issues and in particular its full alignment with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy.
The draft conclusions on enlargement and stabilisation and association process will undergo further changes in the coming weeks and are towards preparing the final conclusions that the EU Council will publish in December, based on the findings of the European Commission and its annual report.
