Skopje, 17 March 2023 (MIA) - In the coming period, North Macedonia's Government and I will make our utmost effort to successfully implement all necessary activities to further dynamize the country's EU accession process, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski told Friday's press conference after the 16th meeting of the SA Council between EU and North Macedonia, alongside European Commission Vice-President and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi.    

Kovachevski expressed satisfaction with the EU's interest in maintaining focus on the region and its European perspective, as well as recognizing North Macedonia as a factor of stability, security and Euro-Atlantic perspectives of the entire Western Balkans, which is also of strategic importance for the whole of Europe. 

This is the first time a meeting of the Stabilization and Association Council is held in a country aspiring to join the EU. Kovachevski said he was honored to host the 16th meeting of the Stabilization and Association Council, held for the first time in the country, which has a historical dimension. The meeting is taking place after the country opened negotiations with the Union last July, following 17 years of candidate status.

"We had the opportunity today with our European partners to make an overview of the state-of-play, the country's progress, as well as the reforms implemented in preparation for our membership in the Union. I can fully and responsibly say that we have the full support of the EU with an unequivocal commitment to success in our next step forward in the European integration process towards a dynamic negotiation process and full-fledged EU membership," said Kovachevski.

According to the Prime Minister, the meeting applauded the country's strong focus on reforms and the harmonization of laws and practices with European standards, as well as the country's policies of good neighborliness "through a mature and responsible approach based on mutual respect and dialogue, rejecting populism as harmful to sincere intentions and provoked by third parties that do not have good intentions for the European perspectives of the Western Balkans".

"North Macedonia practices European values, and we have no doubt we are on the right, European, path," Kovachevski stressed.

The Government's work, he noted, is aligned with the European agenda.

"The Government and I believe that North Macedonia currently has political capacities that can contribute to entering the negotiation process at a dynamic pace after the successfully completed screening process in November, and becoming EU member state in 2030. We have an assurance from the EU that it will intensify its engagement at all levels to support the political, economic and social transformation of North Macedonia," Kovachevski said. 

In the area of reforms, he pointed out, the Government is ready to work together with European partners to promote social and economic reforms and make tangible progress in the rule of law.

He told the press conference that North Macedonia has made a clear strategic choice in aligning completely and unequivocally with the EU's common foreign and security policy, which is considered particularly important amid the new geopolitical context and the war on the European continent due to the Russian military aggression against Ukraine. 

"The country's 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship is also highly valued, with North Macedonia actively contributing to peace and stability in the challenging global context. This is confirmed by the fact that discussions between Serbia and Kosovo will be held in our country tomorrow," said PM Kovachevski. 

The Stabilization and Association Council also welcomed the agreement signed with FRONTEX,  he added noting that it was the first agreement signed in Macedonian language and all other EU languages.  

"Together with the EU member states, we will participate in the operational activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in North Macedonia, and this is just one example of what the beginning of negotiations with the EU means, which also brought European financial support to our country amid a global crisis, in the amount of EUR 80 million in non-refundable financial resources, EUR 100 million in macro-financial assistance with a favorable interest rate, as well as over EUR 50 million in infrastructure investment support," said Kovachevski.

Friday's meeting of the Stabilization and Association Council in Skopje also focused on issues of importance to the Stabilization and Association Process, including alignment with the EU acquis, bilateral relations within the Stabilization and Association Agreement and current issues of the political context in the region and in Europe, the Government said in a press release.

Photo: MIA