Skopje, 28 November 2024 (MIA) - The Government’s position is clear and remains unchanged, said Government Spokesperson Marija Miteva in answer to a journalist’s question on the statement made by the European Union’s new Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, who said the EU expects the country to implement the constitutional changes needed to unblock its accession talks.

“As a Government, I believe that we have provided a response to this situation and these questions. The Government’s position is clear and remains unchanged,” Miteva said in response to the statement.

Quizzed about Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski’s statement on Wednesday about a “robust action to deal with corrupt judges and prosecutors", and whether she sees the statement as pressure on the judiciary, as a separate branch of power from the executive, Miteva said she disagrees with the assessment.

“Who claims that this position is pressuring the judiciary? I can’t agree with that. We can cross our legal arguments, and I will say that this is your opinion and there is no pressure. I really regret that you can’t see the situation when the trust in the judiciary is at two percent, when the citizens say that the judiciary is really devastated and partisan, and when someone wants to change this situation you speak of pressure,” Miteva said. 

Asked about Skopje’s Public Transport Enterprise (JSP), Miteva said the Government would aid the Enterprise again if it runs out of fuel.

“We have spoken about the situation in the City of Skopje and the management there on several occasions. I will remind you that long before the situation in JSP we had a meeting with the Mayor who claimed she is excellent, and she would deal with the situation. As a Government, we hope that after the end of the [fuel] procurement procedure, which is underway, we won’t have a repeat of the situation. Of course, we will help at any time and as much as we can,” Miteva said.

Photo: MIA Archive