At the debate in Parliament on the EC’s Report on North Macedonia, the constitutional changes matter, lack of progress in the functioning of the judiciary, influence on it, fight against corruption, obligations stemming from the reform agenda, and Criminal Code changes were the key segments EU Ambassador Rokas discussed.
President Siljanovska Davkova stated that she considered EU membership to present perspective and stability. However, she criticized the EU over “double standards”.
In that regard, she stated that it had a clear strategy, had been late in the Balkans, while the U.S. had sometimes been quicker. Regarding the constitutional changes matter, the President stated that it was not true that there hadn’t been work on the constitutional changes because the text had reached the agenda at a committee level but hadn’t even passed the first step.
European Affairs Minister Murtezani stated that judicial reforms were the basis of the EU perspective, a measure for legitimacy before citizens, and significant criterion for opening and closing chapters.
SDSM MP and leader Filipche, who heads the National European Integration Council, again criticized the government over the Report and, as he noted its, tones of Euroskepticism. He especially leveled criticism over the issue of influence on the judiciary.