Macedonia’s screening process for EU negotiations begins


The necessary preparatory work for Macedonia’s accession negotiations to the EU will begin on September 27.

Deputy PM for European Affairs and Head delegation for negotiations with EU Bujar Osmani told Sunday’s press conference that he will head the delegation to Brussels to launch screening for Chapter 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights. The delegation will include around forty individuals from several ministries, including here Justice Minister Renata Deskoska.

“In the European Commission we will start the explanatory screening. The EC will present the first chapter on judiciary and fundamental rights, i.e. Chapter 23, thus formally starting the screening process as preparation for the start of the accession negotiations for full-fledged membership,” Osmani said.

This is an extremely important event and a turning point with which the Republic of Macedonia formally starts the last part of the road to EU full-fledged membership, something that we have long awaited and for which we have been preparing for many years.

By June 2019 when screening process ends, 33 delegations including over thousands of officials from institutions in the country, will visit Brussels. The second phase is the bilateral screening, which is more comprehensive and more complex process, Osmani said.

“We are aware that this is a serious challenge for Macedonia and that increased pace and obligations will follow in the upcoming period, but also it will be an opportunity to show how ready we are to deal with the challenge of harmonization with the standards and values of the EU. In this direction, we will need the overall expertise overall level of expertise of individuals in Macedonia,” Osmani underlined.

Negotiations, if all the necessary conditions are met, should start in June or after June next year.

The government today issued a public call for external experts in regard to the process of explanatory screening and accession negotiations with the EU.

The aim is to create a database of experts from one or more chapters in EU law, chief technical negotiator and head of the negotiating team Bojan Maricic said, adding that experts could be engaged temporarily or in the long run throughout the process.

“Macedonia’s accession negotiations with the European Union is a complex process of the overall transformation of the society and improvement of the quality of life of citizens,” Maricic said.

Interested individuals can apply for a public call and submit CV and letter of motivation indicating the areas of expertise of the chapter. Documents should be submitted in Macedonian, Albanian or English language at email [email protected] no later than October 10.