Skopje, 13 March 2023 (MIA) - The Secretariat for European Affairs (SEA) said that the bilateral screening of Chapter 8 - Competition policy, the last one of Cluster 2 on Internal Market, continues on Monday in Brussels.

Representatives from the Commission for the Protection of Competition referred to topics such as the legal framework for mergers of companies as well as the rules and laws on state aid before the experts of the European Commission, the SEA said in a press release.

“North Macedonia has been implementing the Stabilization and Association Agreement for more than 20 years, and in many cases we have witnessed that the European Commission pays special attention to competition policy as one of the most important and difficult chapters regulating the EU internal market. The EU's competition policy aims to create an internal market where economic operators compete freely with each other. This chapter also includes rules and procedures for combating anti-competitive behavior by companies, such as restrictive agreements between companies and the abuse of a dominant position in the market,” reads the press release.

The delegation of North Macedonia is led by the North Macedonia’s deputy chief negotiator with the EU and state secretary in the Secretariat for European Affairs, Drita Abdiu-Halili. The bilateral screening meeting for this chapter began on March 10 and will continue on March 14.

The explanatory screening for Chapters 14 - Transport Policy, 15 - Energy, 21 - Trans-European Networks and 27 - Environment and Climate Change, which are part of Cluster 5 on Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity will kick off as of Wedesnday (March 15).

Photo: The Secretariat for European Affairs