Marichikj: Taking step forward in European integration, moving from COWEB to COELA
Skopje, 14 September 2022 (MIA) – Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj alongside Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski and Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani held on Wednesday the first meeting with the Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the EU (COELA).
“During the final preparations, the first working meeting with COELA is being held today ahead of tomorrow's start of the screening process. We are taking a step forward in the European integration process, we are moving from COWEB to COELA, which confirms the EU perspective and the support of all member states of the Union for our country,” Marichikj said.
Marichikj, who is also the Chief Negotiator, expressed his satisfaction with the swift transfer to the COELA working party, stressing that there’s willingness to hold frequent meetings in the coming period, while North Macedonia makes progress in the negotiations, the Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release.
“The enlargement process is moving forward, the opening of the accession negotiations for North Macedonia and Albania should be understood as a positive signal and an incentive for all to fully commit and deliver the reforms quickly,” Marichikj added.
Marichikj briefed participants in the meeting on the preparations made over the past month, pointing out that partnership cooperation with the European Commission and the EU members will strengthen in the coming period.
“Aware that the negotiation process is complex and challenging, we are as always ready to work closely and in partnership with the Commission and its services, as well as with the EU members, to do our part of the job more efficiently,” he noted.
Marichikj once again reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to make the process transparent and inclusive, with the involvement and cooperation of various stakeholders such as the civil society, the academic community, the business community, etc.
“It is absolutely important that we have national consensus on the accession process and that the opposition plays a constructive role in achieving our strategic goal of full-fledged membership. We are currently operationalizing all bodies of the structure and the Secretariat for European Affairs is working in parallel on developing guidelines and building capacities for all bodies,” he stressed.
Participants in the meeting also tackled global challenges, including the war in Ukraine, the energy and food crises, post-Covid recovery, cyber security, etc., which are all the reason more for the Union to complete the unification of the continent.
“A fully united EU will be more resilient and able to respond effectively to all current and future challenges. For us on the other side, there is no alternative, and therefore we need to make the most the momentum and quickly move towards full-fledged EU membership,” Marichikj concluded.
The Deputy PM for European Affairs and Chief Negotiator is traveling to Brussels on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday’s start of the screening process with the European Union.
