By the end of July, the EC will have issued the assessment on the implementation of the Reform Agenda for North Macedonia had been supposed to carry out until December 2024. After that, it will continue to send funds on the basis of implemented steps.
That has been explained by the EU Delegation in Skopje, following the Growth Plan meeting in Skopje. Telma has learned where North Macedonia has failed to meet the Reform Agenda.
The Energy Ministry, the TV station reports, will lose 2.1 million euros as a result of the negative evaluation of projects implemented until December 2024, while that institution had failed also to implement reform-related obligations until the end of June. That means that another 10 million euros in EU reform funds will not enter the country’s budget.
Also, according to Telma, three of 17 by-laws of the Budget Law by the Finance Ministry haven’t been accepted. That reform concerns the pre-December 2024 period. As a result, that institution will not get part of the 4.2-million-euro incentive.
Though the Gordana Dimitrieska-Kocoska-headed intuition hasn’t directly said that all 17 by-laws haven’t been accepted, it’s directly confirmed it had failed to fulfil reform-related obligations within the foreseen deadline.
“Regarding the conditions for withdrawing funds from the first tranche that are provided for, a possibility of qualitative and technical alignment has been left concerning a one-year period, after which these funds would be transferred to the state. Let us just note that, currently, that doesn’t mean the state has lost those funds, but rather that after the technical alignment of part of by-laws, the funds will be transferred”, the Ministry says.
The Energy Ministry, instead of directly answering Telma’s question whether it will lose 2.1 million euros at the current stage, has leveled accusations, describing such statements as fully false and stressing there is an extended deadline of 12 months for implementation.
“According to the existing documentation aligned with the EC, it’s clearly referred to that it’s about funds regarding which the final approval has an extended deadline, June 2026. All steps taken are transparently documented and will be subject to regular evaluation according to the agreed-upon mechanisms with the EC”, the institution points out.