Marichikj: Civil society to be part of EU negotiation process, looking into model of cooperation
Skopje, 25 August 2022 (MIA) – Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj held on Thursday a coordination meeting with civil society representatives, explaining the screening process along with a brief overview of current activities of the Secretariat for European Affairs ahead of preparations for the screening meetings which are due in three weeks.
Marichikj voiced confidence that civil society organizations will make a significant contribution to the implementation of reforms and progress towards EU membership, the Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release.
“Civil society is a recognized partner of the Government in this process. This partnership and sincere cooperation between the state and civil society is one of the preconditions for successful use of EU structural funds,” Deputy PM Marichikj said, adding that civil society organizations should prepare for participation, and use and greater absorption of EU funds.
At the meeting, Marichikj opened a discussion about a model and way in which civil society representatives will be involved in the process, which would need to be jointly agreed. He pointed out that the Secretariat for European Affairs has already hired a regional expert through the Nordic Support for Progress of North Macedonia project, who would help in defining cooperation and setting up a platform for the inclusion of civil society representatives in the working groups.
“You will e in close cooperation with the expert, so that a model can be found that will be in the best interest of the process. During the entire process, the council for cooperation with civil society organizations will be the bridge of communication,” Marichikj told participants in the meeting.
Deputy PM Marichikj continues inter-institutional coordination meetings that he has been conducting for the past few days before finalizing the negotiation structure that should be adopted by the Government next week, reads the press release.
Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski told Sitel TV on Wednesday that the Secretariat for European Affairs and the Deputy PM for European Affairs work on staffing the negotiation team, and very soon the negotiation structure will be on the Government’s agenda. He added that the negotiation structure will include all institutions, as well as many experts who are not part of the government institutions, i.e. experts from the academic sector, the business and NGO sectors, and everyone who can contribute to a faster completion of the process.
