Skopje, 3 October 2023 (MIA) - The process of constitutional amendments is crucial for the country's European integration path and should not be conditioned, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said Tuesday, following announcements by the Albanian opposition bloc that they won't support constitutional changes unless the wording of "20 percent" is removed. 

Kovachevski noted that the amendments submitted by the Government have been the subject of work by a working group composed of experts in constitutional law, former constitutional judges and representatives from political parties, except VMRO-DPMNE because "they do not participate in anything". 

"The working group unanimously held that the European integration and the fulfillment of the obligation that North Macedonia has according to the Negotiating Framework, which is the inclusion of other parts of nations in the Preamble of the Constitution, are key in the process. Accordingly, a proposal was prepared and submitted to the Government, after which the Government reviewed it and sent it to the Parliament where it was adopted by the Constitutional Commission and passed at the plenary session of the Parliament," Kovachevski said. 

He hopes there is democratic capacity in the country to reach decisions that are necessary for the country to continue its European integration path and open the clusters. 

Photo: MIA archive