Skopje, 23 January 2024 (MIA) – The EU membership is not and cannot be a pre-election promise that will never be implemented. We have set a goal to make this happen by 2030. This year that has started is a year of decisions – decision for European progress, or isolation. There is no third option, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski told the opening of a two-day annual conference "A Year of European Opportunities" in Skopje. 

 

According to Kovachevski, huge investments in the country’s future have already been made, and there is no need for any party or political divide, outsmarting and false promises. 

 

“For our country it is very important that thanks to the right and committed policies we restored democracy, dialogue and debate. For a while now, people are no longer hushed in the country like before, but they are speaking aloud. Within a short period of time we managed to make up for the time of lost opportunities, and bring about a year of European opportunities,” Kovachevski said.  

 

Today, Kovachevski noted, there is a shared responsibility and obligation to give a brief overview of where we were recently, and most of all to discuss, debate and agree on how far and how fast we will be going to where it's best for our citizens - where the family of modern and sustainable countries is. 

 

"If we look back on the past almost three years, but even before that, I'm sure that even the greatest pessimists could not imagine what kind of challenges North Macedonia would face, including our citizens, imposed by the global health, security and economic developments. Even in such difficult times, we didn't stray away from the implementation of our policies based on the EU principles and values and we didn't give up the fulfillment of our strategic goals. With a firm conviction, work and commitment, we strengthened and ensured the European perspective of North Macedonia, setting in the best possible way the unity of all most important aspects of a state and citizens: respect for the past, better present and prosperous and certain future," said Kovachevski. 

 

 

In the past year, as in the previous six, everybody recognized the policies of collaboration, partnerships and desire to find solutions in the policies of the Government. North Macedonia was internationally positioned and brought back to the doors of the EU - because there is no other alternative.  

 

"Only as an EU member state we will have a more competitive, innovative and more open economy, an economy of human capital, economy of possibilities and an economy of growth and development. Therefore, I reiterate that since I honestly believe that Macedonian citizens are in favor of the European Union, and in these years we showed and proved that we acted and respected on the will of our citizens," Kovachevski said. 

 

According to him, for the citizens life in the EU does not mean a one-way ticket, it does not mean an emmigration visa but it is a guarantee for a better standard, higher paycheck, for European, modern, contemporary and contemporary Western values, but here at home in North Macedonia. 

 

"Therefore, the Government I'm leading in the past years, has secured political stability, preserved social cohesion and ensured economic stability and growth in times of greatest crisis," Kovachevski noted. 

 

He added that the Government has delivered on its promises in the past years, in terms of increasing the wages, with the average wage standing at over EUR 630, the minimum wages doubled, the average pension at Mden 20,100 and the minimum pension is at Mden 13,200, which is by 50 percent higher than in 2016. In addition, he noted, today the country has unemployment below 13 percent. Also, the number of workers in the technological development zones has topped 18,000. 

 

"We're on the brink of securing a single-digit unemployment rate that was unimaginable a few years ago. On the other hand, within one year alone, we have an increased employment rate of 10,000 new workers," Kovachevski noted. 

 

With the anti-crisis measures, he added, we managed to protect citizens' standard and liquidity of companies, thus protect jobs.

 

In 2023, Kovachevski continued, we ensured the historically greatest budget for farmers.  

 

"The new IPARD 3 program was increased by 62 percent. Now in IPARD 3 we have a program that we were first to initiate, from all countries using the IPARD we have EUR 97 million intended for modernization and development of Macedonian agriculture," Kovachevski said.

 

He pointed out, among other, that the country has successfully managed the energy crisis, turning it into an opportunity.   

 

As a Government, Kovachevski stressed, we made a strategic step forward in terms of capital investments in road infrastructure.

  

"Corridors 8 and 10D are convincingly the greatest capital investment in the history of our country. They will contribute to the faster development of economy, modernization of road insfrastructure and better connection with our neighbors, as well as with international corridors. In the past five years, we invested more than EUR 1 billion for construction and rehabilitation of roads. Instead of becoming a ring road, North Macedonia is becoming a real crossroads in the Balkans," Kovachevski said. 

 

As a Government, he continued, we made major strategic steps for the Republic of North Macedonia through a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment, and the country will continue to move forward through sustainable development and will become a more successful and safer EU member. 

 

"With the EU integration, salaries and pensions will go up between 70-90 percent, and at the same time our foreign partners investors will have an additional trust, that will be reflected in a drastically higher number of investments in the country. If the EU has a share of 65 percent of the total number of the foreign direct investment now, we can guess how bigger this support will be once we become an EU member state,” Kovachevski said. 

 

Precisely this 2024, according to Kovachevski, is key to speed up the reforms and to accelerated integration in the joint European market ahead of full-fledged EU membership. 

 

“We have no right to stand still, even less so to go back. We have no right to allow the inhibitors to be louder than the progressive ones. We have no right to allow for the personal interests to be above the state interests. We have no right to repeat the mistakes of our predecessors. We have a lot of right, and we have the greatest obligation to be optimistic. To have and to show faith and internal confidence. To have and to show capacity, knowledge, work, focus and energy. To have and to demonstrate a state. Because we have all of that, and we should finally fight for our joint and shared values, the most important, the citizens, the country, for European Macedonia, for a country that everybody loves and where everybody wants to live,” said Kovachevski. 

 

 

First Deputy PM and Minister for Political System and Inter-Community Relations, Artan Grubi, told the opening that since the December 11, 2016 elections and the formation of the Government in June 2017, the progressive community has faced many challenges.

 

According to Grubi, the security, energy, price crises and inflation have only one name, and that is - Russia and its military aggression against Ukraine.

 

“Is there Russian influence in our religious communities? Find the answer yourself. Is there Russian influence in our media? Again, you know the answer yourself. Is there Russian influence in non-governmental organizations in our society? And you all know that there are Russian exponents and elements doing everything possible and in their power to disrupt the progressive parliamentary majority and coalition that wants to see this country as NATO and EU member and in an age-old friendship with the United States. That is why we are trying to build the European front of unity, of progressive forces in the country,” Grubi said. 

 

 

Panel sessions will tackle Government policies and measures undertaken in 2023, with a focus on European integration as the key process in 2024.

 

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