Skopje, 4 August 2023 (MIA) — The European Commission published Friday a draft screening report on North Macedonia for Cluster 1: Fundamentals, the Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release.

The Commission's assessment is based on information received during the screening and dialogues conducted in the Stabilisation and Association bodies as well as the Commission’s annual Enlargement package country reports, the relese says.

"This is only a draft report that will be discussed by the EU member states, and it comes at the right time now that we are intensively working on the development of the Roadmaps," Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj said.

The report reflects the state of the country and the direction for future reforms that North Macedonia will need to make in the areas of the rule of law, in particular judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organized crime, human rights, strengthening of democratic institutions and public administration reform, in order to fulfil the conditions for EU membership.

"For us, the report is a guide and basis for the preparation of key documents – Roadmaps for the rule of law, functioning of democratic institutions and public administration reforms. At the same time, it is a reflection of the screening process, which has been going on for almost a year. We will comment on individual findings at a later stage when they will need to be implemented into the Roadmaps, which will be consulted with all stakeholders in a transparent and inclusive process," Marichikj said.

The Secretariat for European Affairs is currently working on a Macedonian translation of the screening report, which will be additionally published on their website, the release adds. ssh/mr