Skopje, 26 September 2022 (MIA) – Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj told Monday’s explanatory screening meeting on the functioning of democratic institutions it is an area of essential importance for every democratic society and one that requires maximum commitment. “Reforms are not only there to put new legislation in place but also to change the mentality and the governance style. We know and we have the experience regarding the importance of the rule of law but also independent and efficient institutions that guarantee it,” said Deputy PM Marichikj. He added that North Macedonia has achieved enormous progress in recent years, especially regarding the rule of law and restoring democracy by building strong and functional institutions that are accountable, transparent and inclusive, thus responding to the noted backtracking in the last European Commission report, the Secretariat for European Affairs (SEA) said in a press release. “In the last few election cycles we demonstrated the capability to organize fair and competitive elections, as confirmed by OSCE/ODIHR. On the election reforms, the Electoral Code underwent several changes to address the OSCE/OHIRD and Venice Commissions recommendations and best practices,” said Marichikj and added that adoption of a new Electoral Code through an inclusive and transparent process is among the Government’s priorities. The Deputy PM highlighted the importance of a national consensus in the accession process, saying the opposition should play a constructive role in meeting North Macedonia’s strategic goal of full-fledged EU membership. “The Parliament has improved its role as a primary forum for constructive political dialogue. All parties have contributed to a couple of successful rounds of the ‘Jean Monnet Dialogue’ with the European Parliament, for the purpose of further strengthening the Parliament’s role,” said Marichikj. The explanatory screening will continue on Tuesday with a meeting on Chapter 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, which marks the completion of the meetings on the Fundamentals cluster.