Key challenge for fulfilling the Reform Agenda is perseverance and determination

A key challenge for the country will be perseverance and determination – regardless of changes in government, to continue the reform process. The Reform Agenda is a good example of this, but its implementation remains. This was one of the key messages from today’s panel discussion “Strengthened cooperation in the EU integration process through the Reform Agenda”.

The event was opened by the Minister for European Affairs, Orhan Murtezani, who said that he signed the agreement on the instrument today, emphasizing that the Reform Agendas aim to create inclusive and just societies and build citizens’ trust in institutions.

“The reforms mean building a culture of accountability and responsibility. The Growth Plan, or rather its four pillars, are political and practical. No plan can succeed without real cooperation,” Murtezani emphasized.

EPI’s Director Simonida Kacarska emphasized that the reform process must be opened up and include other actors in terms of adopting and implementing reforms.

“The fact that every six months the Commission will assess how much we have accomplished will be a change in the entire process from what we have seen so far. This instrument is much better because it shows us which country is not delivering the reforms, and the reforms will be measured through indicators,” Kacarska emphasized.

Professor Silvana Mojsovska said at the event that as a country we will have to show that we have the capacity to implement projects, which will go with strong mechanisms for monitoring the implementation, in order for this to be a step on our path to the EU.

“The main goal of the plan is the rapprochement of each country to the EU. Through investments, we will allow increased economic investment integration. We will have to cooperate for some of the investments with the countries of the region with the aim of developing the Western Balkans,” said Mojsovska.

Andrej Petreski from the American Chamber of Commerce in North Macedonia said that the funds coming with the Growth Plan and the Reform Agenda will be a motivator for the institutions and the state to implement reforms.

“Some see the Agenda only as a list of obligations on how to get the funds, but it contains the guidelines for a better future. The priorities of the agenda are closely aligned. The success of the country will depend on the cooperation of the public, private and civil sectors,” Petreski emphasized.

The national event in Skopje is part of a series of national events in the six Western Balkan countries that are being implemented within the framework of the project “Pathways to EU Integration: Advancing the Dialogue on the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans” funded by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans. The purpose of this event was to discuss the potential for cooperation in the process of monitoring the implementation of the Reform Agenda.