Skopje, 30 August 2023 (MIA) - The basic question of this campaign and the battle we are waging in society is on where do we want North Macedonia to belong: do we want it to belong to the biggest peace, political and economic project (EU), do we want to belong to the economic miracle or do we want to believe in alternative stories in which very few people believe and from which no one has seen any benefits, Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj told Wednesday's public forum titled "EU for the Macedonian Economy".

"The Republic of North Macedonia undoubtedly belongs to the European Union. Our citizens undoubtedly want to be part of the European Union. Our economic miracle, our political development and our peace project is possible only in the EU," Marichikj pointed out. 

The Deputy PM noted that the European diplomacy has helped the country to come out of crisis many times, also highlighting financial support, which in the past 15 years has amounted to over one billion, and has substantially contributed to many aspects of life.

"Corridor 10, many infrastructure projects, railway stations in several cities, sewerage, water supply and infrastructure, agriculture, education, record use of Erasmus programs, protection of our cultural heritage...," noted Marichikj.   

According to Deputy PM Marichikj, the EU's common market is our only chance for development, and completing the country's mosaic is possible and achievable only through the EU. "If we now use one billion euros through the IPA projects in 15 years, when we join the EU we will use one billion per year from cohesive and structural reforms. That's a huge difference," he added. 

In his address, the Deputy PM pointed to the examples of the Czech Republic and Croatia and their development after joining the EU. 

Spanish Ambassador José Luis Lozano García shared his country's experience in joining the European Union, noting Spain's support to North Macedonia on the European path. Joining the EU has meant opening and modernization of the Spanish economy, which has led to greater budgetary stability and has been an incentive to undertake certain structural reforms...

"Membership in this club offers a guarantee of peace, stability and security," said the Spanish Ambassador. 

According to him, we can talk every day about concrete and tangible benefits such as freedom of movement, consumer protection, data protection, healthcare through the European health card, etc.

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi, Finance Think's Blagica Petreski, as well as Irena Jakimovska from the "Comfy Angel" company also addressed the public forum in Skopje on Wednesday. 

Wednesday's event in Skopje officially launched the “We Are Europe” campaign, as part of which public forums will be organized in eight cities across the country. They will cover multiple topics such as labor and social policy in Strumica, agriculture in Prilep, culture in Bitola, tourism and environment in Ohrid, youth in Tetovo, infrastructure in Shtip, and energy in Kumanovo.

Photo: MIA