Skopje, 24 September 2022 (MIA) – The screening process over North Macedonia’s EU accession is expected to finish in 14 months and considering the pace in which things develop, Union membership in 2030 is realistic, says Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski in an interview with Voice of America. PM Kovachevsi says the Government’s approach regarding the start of the negotiations is very serious – a negotiating structure has been set up, including the involvement of the academic community, the NGO sector, the business community. “Currently we have a 45-percent alignment of our legislation with the EU Acquis. We have seriously approached the process, setting up the negotiating structure, the chief negotiator being the Deputy PM for European Affairs, and a chief advisor who is Croatia’s former chief negotiator, meaning that the experience is there. The academic community, the NGO sector, the business community are all involved in the negotiations,” says Kovachevski. The PM adds that all progressive forces favoring EU accession will be activated. “I am a realistic optimist that we can join the EU by 2030,” says Kovachevski.