SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
At a roundtable held on Wednesday, Swedish Ambassador Ami Larsson-Jain, stated that the Reform Agenda was not only about alignment with EU criteria, but also about improving the everyday life of citizens. She also pointed out that her country remained a committed partner when it came to North Macedonia’s EU membership path.
Together with Switzerland, Sweden aspires to strengthen democratic institutions, encourage the rule of law, and advance good governance, Ambassador Larsson-Jain underlined as well.
PM Hristijan Mickoski described the Growth Plan and Reform Agenda also as an instrument for society to recover.
“Our responsibility, as politicians, is to create conditions for full depoliticisation of the judiciary, protection of prosecutors and judges against political and business pressures”, he underlined, adding that there was also a responsibility for different mechanisms on external oversight and accountability, as well as true, not just formal, support for institutions to fight corruption.
According to the PM, a functional economy, too, is needed because no country can be developed only through institutions.
“The cabinet headed by me is aware that without an open dialogue and true partnership with the civil society sector, we cannot achieve lasting and inclusive reforms. Therefore, our pledge is to deepen collaboration through regular consultations in policy-making”, Mickoski emphasized.
European Affairs Minister Orhan Murtezani stated that the Agenda was a conceptual framework to redefine the country’s institutional logic, as well as a way to bridge system gaps between the law and justice, politics and public interest, and economic policies and human development.
Vladimir Drobnjak, who was Croatia’s chief negotiator on that country’s EU path, stated that 2030 should be an orientation when it came to reforms, adding that Albania and Montenegro were expected to have finished their respective negotiations processes by then.
